A Story of Revelations
by jenniferpatterson134
Summary: Previously called "Truth - Different Take" Starts off from the the explosion and deals with all the messy aftermath with Daniel finding a passport with Aiden and Emily's picture in it, and then branches off into a new story. All characters are included and there are many plot twists, so if you're Revenge deprived, give it a try and REVIEW if you like. Major pairing is Daniel/Emily
1. Chapter 1

As he scanned the overwhelming crowd, Daniel Grayson was only concerned about one person at this moment. Through all the chaos, and confusion, only one thing was in his mind. Where is Emily? She was suppose to meet him here exactly at four, and then the explosion happened. There was debris everywhere, and he couldn't help but think the inevitable. As he frantically searched through the area, his dad Conrad Grayson couldn't be less concerned about his fiancé. He was calmly directing people to safety, and maybe thought Daniel; maybe...he isn't such a bad person after all. Amidst the madness and confusion, he saw from the corner of his eye woman who was no other than Emily Thorne. And in that brief moment, he was the happiest that he had been in a long time. Relief swept over him, but as she got closer, Daniel realized that she was badly hurt.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am fine, I might need to get this checked" she replied, pointing to her wounded leg

"What were you doing in there?"

"Looking for you"

That sounded just like the Emily Thorne he knew, she was so passionate, and ambitious that it put him to awe. He couldn't believe just how lucky he was to actually marry her. But as he looked at his fiancé with relief, he couldn't help notice this restlessness, almost distress like emotion from her, almost like she wanted to get away from him.

"I think I am going to get this checked" she said

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I'll be fine; there are other people here that need help"

That was another thing about this wonderful woman, she was selfless. It was one of the many things that he admired about her. She was always involved in charity work, and she was all about helping people. She was his true love.

There was something off about her lately, ever since they had gotten back together actually. But he just couldn't put a finger on it. She seemed disconnected and absentminded...or maybe it was him. He knew for a fact that he wasn't still the same person as he was last summer. He had changed, but often Daniel wished that he had never gotten involved with Grayson Global. In his inner most suppressed self, he wanted to be a poet.

"Where is she? Where's Emily?"

Why was Aiden her ex, asking about where Emily was? And what is he doing here in the first place? This was the guy that had pursued his fiancé, and he had also destroyed Grayson Global by making it go bankrupt. So why was he here, showing his face, and taking a risk knowing that he will probably be caught for Emily?

"Where is she?" Aiden grew more impatient by the second.

In a fit of rage, the only apprehensible reply was to punch him, and that is exactly what he did. Daniel punched Aiden and by the time he went to the nearest cop to tell him of Aiden's criminal record, he had disappeared. Typical thought Daniel. But moments ago where Aiden had been, lay instead a wallet. And as he picked it up, and opened it...he saw two passports. One of with Aiden's picture in it, and one with his fiancé's.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

What was Emily's picture doing with Aiden? Through all the chaos and confusion, Daniel couldn't think straight. There was a part of him that immensely wanted this to be a dream. He hoped he would wake up in the arms of his loving fiancé. But, reality caught up to him and here he was questioning the one person that he was madly in love with, the one person that he trusted with his life, the one person that _was_ in fact, his life.

"Daniel, I need your help" said Conrad, breaking him from his deep trance.

It's a mistake. It has to be. Right?

Emily's POV

As she made her way through the crowd, Emily wasn't really sure where she was going, and what she was doing. So much had happened in just twenty four hours that the famous Emily Thorne was at a loss of words. Things were never what they seemed with Emily. In everything she did, and said, there was always another meaning, which is why she found herself questioning her actions earlier. Sure, she had been looking for Jack, and sure she had been concerned about him, but part of the reason she went in that building was also to make to Daniel was okay. Of course, she herself wouldn't admit it, but deep down she knew that what her and Daniel had was more than just acting on her behalf. But then, there was the matter of Aiden too. He was her support system, through everything she had been through and it felt to nice not to have to hide Amanda from him, but she had realized that Emily and Amanda were two different people, who live very different lives and the question of where Aiden fits in, she just didn't know the answer to.

"Ems, where have you been? I've been so worried about you. Are you okay?" said a worried Nolan, on the phone.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll meet you at Nolcorp in fifteen minutes"

Nolan. He was one of the people that she trusted. It hadn't always been that way, but there was a connection that they had, perhaps a mutual feeling, of revenge had brought them closer. Either way, Nolan was her friend, and in her lonely path to revenge, he was one person that she cared about the most.

Amidst all her scattered thoughts, she received a text from Daniel. _Hey, are you okay? I thought I'd come check up on you, text me your location. _As much as Emily hated to admit it, he was the one mistake that she had made in her revenge plan. She wasn't supposed to develop feelings Daniel. His family was involved in the downing of Flight 197. And, she didn't feel right using him as a pawn. This is why she had taken her chance and tried to cut him loose by breaking off the engagement the first time around. But, she was somehow even more miserable that summer, and no matter how many excuses she made, she knew it was because of Daniel. But, like Takeda said, revenge is a path treaded alone, and Emily knew that Daniel had to go. This time around, she didn't know how she would break of the engagement. This time around, she didn't know if she wanted to. _I'm fine, just getting my ankle looked at, nothing to worry. I'll see you later tonight. _

"Nolan, have you heard anything from Jack?" Emily said, as she burst through the doors of Nolan's office.

"I'm tracking him, he's at home...I'm not quite sure what happened, but he's fine. But you have bigger problems to worry about," he said, pointing to the figure in the corner.

"Aiden? What are you doing here? You are suppose to be out of the country. You need to go NOW-" she exclaimed flinging her phone and belongings on the chair.

"Calm down, I just wanted to give you something and I will be gone."

"Fine, but hurry. The Initiative is going to be after you, the moment they Grayson Global servers are back up"

"I wanted to give you this," he said, reaching into his pocket.

"It's not here. How can it not be here? I had it with me-"

"What are you talking about?" said a confused Emily.

"Passports. The one I had for you and me, they're gone. But, I don't understand where they could have been?"

"Guys, not now. Danny boy is heading this way and I don't know what he wants, but you two better get out of here"

Daniel's POV

"Son, is everything okay?" asked a seemingly concerned Conrad

"Yes, can you take over? I have somewhere to be."

"I don't know what can be more important than family, but if you have to you may take your leave"

"Thanks"

Truth was that he didn't know what to do or where to go. Usually, at times like this, when he was stressed, he would confront Emily and she would always help, and make him feel better. But this was different. He looked closely at the passport, and he wondered if he ever really knew Emily. There was always something mysterious about her, something that he had tried to push at the back of his mind. Maybe Victoria had a point in having her investigated. But, this was his fiancé he was talking about. And that was easier said than done. Maybe, it was a misunderstanding. Daniel decided that for his own piece of mind, he would look at Emily's record himself and that would be the end of that. And, what better place to start than Nolan, but he had to take into account that he and her had always been unusually close so he would have to do it himself.

"Nolan, I need to use your computer" he said, as he walked into Nolcorp.

"Sure thing, not like I have a choice" he retorted.

"Do you mind?" Daniel said, signalling Nolan away from the computer and out of the room.

"Not at all, boss" said Nolan grudgingly, as he exited the room

EMILY THORNE, typed Daniel into the database. Of course he didn't expect to find anything, he didn't want to. All of Victoria's nagging had probably gotten to him, and quite frankly, he still didn't know what to think out of this passport deal. There was no possible way that her things could be here. As the results loaded, Daniel scanned through the information. Nothing, and as he sat in the chair, he smiled as he realized how stupid he was to doubt his fiancé. As a wave of relief swept over him, he also felt ashamed for ever doubting the love of his life.

"I'm done" he shouted to Nolan.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Nolan asked with intrigue.

"No, thankfully." He replied with a smile.

As he was about to leave, he noticed something odd. There was, what looked like, Emily's phone and jacket on the chair, right beside him. Emily was getting her leg checked...at the hospital.

"Nolan, what are Emily's belonging's doing here?"

"She visited me, to make sure I was okay...which I am, clearly" he replied nervously

"But, she was limping last I saw her...did she walk all the way here?"

"Did you ever hear of a Taxi? Plus, she went to the hospital which is right near here"

"I'm going to take these if you don't mind; I think I'll visit her" Daniel said, ignoring Nolan's snarky commentary.

"You're welcome!" Nolan called as Daniel left.

Emily's POV

"He's gone" said Nolan, signalling Emily to come in the room.

"What did he want?"

"Don't know. I'm on it though"

"Uh, you have somewhere to be though." Said Nolan

"Where?"

"The hospital. Danny boy is looking for you there, and...he has your cell phone and jacket"

"That cell phone has texts from Aiden"

"Well, I suggest you go find Daniel. It's nothing you can't handle" said Nolan.

"And Aiden, please get out of here" said Emily.

"I need to talk to you though" he said, stopping her.

"You've done enough" she said, as she left Nolcorp, hoping to get to the hospital before Daniel.

And what the hell is Jack up to wondered Nolan.


	3. Chapter 3

RoryIvakovic :

Thank you SO much for your continued support! Honestly, your review made my day. I'll try to update frequently, but it takes me a while to write the chapter itself. :) Thanks again for your kind words.

. .111 :

I'm glad you like it! As for your question, I'll try including all of the major characters. I like interconnecting stories, so even though the pairing is Daniel/Emily, I will still have other characters.

FaithfulKitten :

Thank you for reviewing!

**NOW, on with the story ;**

Daniel's POV

"Hi, I'd like to visit an Emily Thorne...she's my fiancée." Daniel said proudly. He sometimes couldn't believe it himself. They had been through so much, and he knew that she was the one.

"That's nice," replied an uninterested nurse, in a monotone voice.

"Can I know what room she is in?"

"Let me see...I'm sorry, we haven't had an Emily Thorne check in yet."

"That's odd. I'm sure she's around here somewhere..."

"That's nice," the nurse said, in an absentminded tone.

Daniel decided to wait for her, the nurse probably made a mistake, and there are so many people, it's easy to lose track of one person. He could just not get a break today. He couldn't wait to see Emily though, it felt like it had been ages, and he had decided to confront her about the passport that he found...but first he would give her a big hug, and tell her how much he loved her, because he had almost thought that he had lost her today, and that was a feeling that Daniel wanted to stay away from, it was a gut wrenching feeling. As he patiently waited, he took out her phone from his pocket. Just as he was about to look at it, he got a text from his own phone, it was from Ashley; _Daniel, where are you? Your mom is worried sick, and we can't get a hold of Charlotte. Call me as soon as you get this._ Ashley. You could say that she too, is ambitious like Emily, and she is charming but all the time Daniel was with her, it didn't feel _real_. Being with Emily? That's real. The day that she gave him the ring back, is one that he tried to forget, and Daniel hoped that if his pride hadn't gotten the worst in him, they would be married, possibly have a kid, and they would be living their life of happiness. But, it's better late than never he thought. Through the panic stricken crowd, in the waiting room...he thought he saw Charlotte.

"What are you doing here? Mom and Dad are so worried about you. Thank god, you're okay!" said Daniel, hugging his sister.

"I'm fine. But, have you seen Declan? I need to talk to him, but I honestly cannot find him anywhere. I tried calling him, and no one is picking up. I thought he might be here, but there is no sign of him"

"Don't worry; I'm sure he's fine. You need to get home now, though. We will sort everything out in the morning."

"Alright, if you see him though, be sure to give me a call."

"Sure thing" replied Daniel

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I thought Emily was here, but I guess not. C'mon, I'll give you a ride."

"Thanks"

Emily's POV

Even though it had been a few hours since the explosion, there was still debris everywhere, and traffic jams, accidents and such problems, that Emily found it impossible to get to the hospital on time, before Daniel. At this point, she prayed that he hadn't looked at her cell phone. It had conversations between her and Aiden that she just didn't know how to explain. Many times Emily had thought of coming clean to Daniel and telling him the truth, about who she was, who she was after, and everything she possibly could. But, then she remembered that it would be her weakness. He would be her weakness...what she didn't know, was that he already was. Then she wondered about how different things would be if they had gone to Paris last summer. Daniel would have never gotten involved with Grayson Global, and Emily Thorne would live a happy life, even if it was just temporary. It was a fact that Daniel brought out the best in her, but all the same, he also made her vulnerable, which is why she had to let him go, somehow. In all the madness, she realized how much her leg really hurt, the pain had increased to a constant throbbing now, and an obvious limp was accompanying her footsteps. As she reached the hospital, and checked in the doctor had informed her that she had broken her ankle, which was nothing major but it meant that she would be on crutches for a few weeks, and that she would have to stay home. To Emily, this _was_ major, it meant that her Revenge plans were going to be delayed, just as she was as motivated as ever, to finish them.

"Is there anyone that can offer you a ride? Because, you cannot walk with a broken leg" asked the doctor.

"No, I got here just fine. I can take a taxi."

"That was probably just the adrenaline kicking in. But, I really need you to rest your foot. Are you sure there is no one that we can call?"

She could call Nolan, but he was busy trying to find out what Jack was up to, she could call Aiden but it was too much of a risk and she didn't want to talk to him, at least...not now. The only person that left was Daniel. Emily was avoiding him, or trying to. She hated having to lie to him...when he looked at her, it was with such affection and care, that she felt gross toying with his feelings, but in this case, she would make an exception.

"Can I use a phone?" she asked.

"Sure thing, here you go" replied the doctor.

"Hi Daniel, can you come get me?"

"Are you okay? I have been looking _everywhere_ for you. Where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital, apparently I cracked a bone. Would you mid picking me up?"

"Of course, I'll be there in a few. Love you."

"I love you too" replied Emily.

It was funny realized Emily, she had never actually said that before to Daniel, and whenever she had, it was usually just for the sake of saying it but this time when she had said "I love you" to him it was almost natural. It scared her.

"Hey" said Daniel, running up to Emily, and giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey" she replied. She never realized how much she had missed him, throughout the events of the day. Her mind was playing tricks on her...as much as Emily wanted to avoid him, she couldn't.

"Finally" he exclaimed as he embraced her.

And in that moment, both of them didn't want to let go, they forgot all their problems and they wanted to stay in each other arms forever.

"Let's get you home, shall we?" Daniel said with a smile.

"Yes please" replied Emily, relying on Daniel for support. And in a long time, Emily felt calm, and at peace.

The ride home was silent and everyone was in their own thoughts. Now that she had a broken leg to look after, she realized that she would be at home all day. How was she supposed to get anything done? There was still the matter of Aiden and Jack. Emily hoped that Aiden had gotten out of the country, because if there was one thing that could be certain about the Initiative, is that they are never far behind. They seem to have eyes everywhere.

"Emily, I'm sorry if I come off as inconsiderate but have you seen Declan anywhere?" asked Charlotte breaking the silence.

"Sorry Charlotte, I can't say that I have. He's probably at the bar." Replied Emily

"Yeah, probably" replied Charlotte

"AND, we made it. Here we are, home, sweet home. Char, you go on ahead, I have to talk to Emily" said Daniel as the car screeched to a halt.

"Alright, good night you two" said Charlotte slamming the car door.

"Emily, if you have a second, can I talk to you?" inquired Daniel

"I've got all the time in the world, so sure, what's on your mind?"

Daniel analyzed the situation for a while, and he realized maybe this wasn't the best time to talk things out. They both had a long day and excruciating day and Daniel was just glad to have Emily by his side. He decided that interrogating her would have to wait until tomorrow.

"Never mind, it can wait...but let's get you home first"

"Ouch!" exclaimed Emily in pain. She had never realized how much her leg had hurt until now.

"I have an idea! Do you trust me though?"

Trust was a heavy word, and there were only a few people that Emily trusted, and quite frankly, Daniel was one of them.

"Yes," she sheepishly replied.

"Alright!" he said, as he started to carry Emily gracefully bridal style, towards the house.

"You're crazy!"

"Says the girl who risked her own life and went looking for me, during an explosion." He retorted.

"That's right, you owe me." She said laughing.

"Do you want me to stay over?" asked Daniel genuinely.

"No, I think I'll be fine. You should go be with your family."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yes" she replied, he had a family that loved him and cared for him. As much as she hated to admit it, she was always jealous about how protective Victoria was of him. One day, she hoped, she would have a family of her own. Many a nights, she would often be reminiscing about her past and all the memories she had as a child with her dad. Was this what he would have wanted? Would he have wanted me to revenge all the people that did wrong by him? She figured it must be so, why else would he leave her the infinity box?

As soon as Daniel left she had this overwhelming feeling of loneliness over her, and she shut her eyes hoping to get some sleep, after all, it had been a hectic day.

Daniel's POV

"Hello son," said an ever graceful Victoria.

"And might I ask where you have been the entire day?" she added.

"With Emily," he coldly replied.

"You need to stay away from her Daniel. She is not a good influence on you, that woman is wrong for you. Call it a mother's instincts but you have to stay away from her."

"No, I need to stay away from you." He said as he walked away.

"Where's dad?" asked Daniel searching his surroundings.

"He has a meeting. He will be back tomorrow" replied Ashley who just appeared by the door.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your dad invited me to stay here, so I can work on the family's image as a whole. He really wants to win this election." She said.

"Of course" signed Daniel

"Look Daniel, I need to talk to you," said Ashley in a low almost shameful voice.

"Not now." replied Daniel as he left upstairs.

Right now, all he needed was Emily.

"I thought you'd still be up" said Daniel as he entered her bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" Said Emily surprised.

"Well, you didn't really think I'd leave you here alone tonight, did you?" He said pointing to his overnight bag.

"You don't have to" smiled Emily.

"I know, but I want to." He said slipping in beside her.

"What are you thinking about?" Daniel asked.

Emily was fantasizing about her and Daniel's married life, and what their kids would be like, and about how wonderful parents they would be...about how wonderful a family they would be. But, she couldn't show signs of weakness, there was only one thing she came in the Hamptons for, and that was to avenge her father, even if she had to sacrifice her happiness.

"Nothing." she replied.

"I love you." said Daniel kissing Emily passionately.

She would _have_ to break things off with Daniel. He was her distraction.

Tomorrow would be an eventful day, both of them thought. Tomorrow would be a day of _confrontations. _


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took a while for me to update, just busy with life and stuff.

Thank you for all the reviews, they make my day! Enjoy.

This is just a filler-ish chapter. The next one is pretty important. J

**Chapter 4**

Emily decided to wake up early that morning, she had a few things on her to do list, Nolan was probably worried about her, and in all the craziness yesterday, she completely forgot to call him. As she was about to get up, she glanced at Daniel who was sound asleep. He looked so peaceful, and innocent. And she couldn't help but smile at his resting figure. Her leg was feeling a bit better now, but she still couldn't walk without proper support. So, she grabbed her crutches and slowly but quietly, she slipped out of her bedroom, and onto the porch.

"Nolan?"

"Ems! Did you find Daniel before he looked at the messages on the phone?"

"Yes, I found him. I don't think that he looked at any messages or anything, but I have some bad news."

"Looks like the bad news fairy visited both of us," replied Nolan

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that Aiden went missing. Apparently the Initiative got to him, before he could reach Canada. I was tracking his cell phone, and late last night, the signal just went blank."

"That's just fantastic!" said Emily sarcastically.

"Your turn..."

"Well, I broke my leg, which means that I can't do much for a few weeks."

"Ouch. That means your _revengenda_ will have to be postponed."

"Yeah, but I'll try doing what I can. Any news on Jack?"

"He's not picking up my phones, or answering my calls. I tried checking the bar, but that too was locked. As if that wasn't bad enough, there is no sign of Declan or Karl"

"Do you think they're okay?"

"I sure hope so" answered Nolan

"I wanted to tell you something. It's about Daniel. I'm starting to get the feeling that involving him isn't the best idea. He's become too much of a distraction, and quite frankly I need to end things with him, it's just slowing me down."

"Are you sure Ems? Remember last summer?"

"Things were different then."

"Were they really?"

Emily could hear the shower, and she knew that Daniel was probably up by now.

"I'll call you later" she said as she abruptly hung up the phone.

She considered calling Aiden, and then she remembered that the call probably wouldn't go through. Emily couldn't help but wonder what was happing to people in the Hamptons. Why had the people she cared about gone missing or died? The list of the people she had lost was already endless. Where was Jack, Aiden, Declan, and Karl? She wished that Amanda was here, she would understand what Emily was going through.

"Morning Sunshine" said Daniel walking up to the porch

"Good Morning"

"Did you sleep well?" he inquired.

"Yes, thank you."

"Got any plans for today?"

"What does it look like?" she asked as she pointed towards her leg

"Well, I have to sort things out at Grayson Global and find out what the hell happened yesterday. Will you be okay while I'm gone?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

"Great. I'll send Charlotte over so she can keep you company"

"It's fine, I can manage. But if I remember correctly, you wanted to ask me something last night?"

"Right," Daniel said as he pulled out a wallet from his pocket.

"Are you still in contact with Aiden by any chance?"

"No, I haven't spoken to him since that night at the masquerade ball. Why?"

"It's nothing to worry about"

"Daniel, I know there is something you aren't telling me."

Of course, he could never hide anything from Emily;

"Well, on the day of the explosion, he showed up outside my office looking for you."

"That's odd. I honestly don't know what he could have wanted from me. I assure you though, there is nothing going on between us. There never really was, sure we dated, but I just needed someone after our engagement broke off, it really didn't mean anything."

"That's a relief" said Daniel smiling.

Emily reassured herself. It wasn't a complete lie. She really did need someone that summer, and Aiden happened to be there for her.

"But, there's another thing, he dropped his wallet, and when I picked it up, it had two passports, one with a picture of him, and one of you...and I don't know what to think. Of course I trust you, but I need to know what's going on. Was he blackmailing you or anything? You HAVE to tell me." Daniel said in a pleading tone.

"Daniel, what makes you think I wouldn't tell you? I trust you with my life, and I don't know what that picture was doing there. _You_ are the one I'm madly in love with, not him. And I don't know what else I can say to make to believe it otherwise. "

"I know, that's why I wanted to talk to you first without jumping to conclusions, unlike last summer." He said with a hint of relief on his face.

"Thank you," Emily said leaning in closer to Daniel and giving him a passionate kiss.

"I'll see you later?" Daniel questioned.

"Can't wait" she replied.

**Grayson Manor**

"I see you've finally decided to join us" Victoria commented as Daniel walked in.

"Is dad here yet?" Daniel asked in a rude tone.

"No, but _I_ am you know. Can we have a civil conversation? I don't know what I have done to offend you so much."

"Why do you hate Emily so much? What has she ever done to make you doubt her intentions? Even when I wasn't with her, she was always there for Charlotte." Daniel didn't know he had it in him to say that, but it had just randomly burst out of him.

"There is something you have to understand Daniel, when you have had experience with people as much as I have, you start to learn which ones are real and fake."

"That's great mother. Clearly that trick failed when you married dad."

"Are you honestly telling me that you _never_ doubted Emily Thorne? Not even on the very first day you met her?"

"I never found a reason to." He said as he walked away.

Victoria sat in her chair feeling utter loneliness. Why is it, that after everything she had done for her kids, they always seem to abandon her? All she ever wanted in her messed up way was a sense of belonging and security. Yet, it had been over 25 years, and she still felt like an outsider amongst the Grayson Family. Part of being mother however was doing what was best for her children, and even if Daniel didn't see all the obvious flaws in Emily _now_, she would make it her personal duty to make sure that her son doesn't get his heart stepped on repeatedly by the same woman. Emily Thorne was bad news, and it was Victoria's duty to get rid of her, whatever the price.

Daniel was furious with his mother. He couldn't believe that she could be so heartless. They were going to get married in a matter of months now, and she still hated Emily. He admired his fiancée for even sticking with him for so long. Most of his previous girlfriends had gotten intimidated easily by Victoria, but Emily was always there staring right back at her, and playing Victoria's own game better than her. Interrupted from his thoughts, he received a text from Conrad; _Son, I need you to come to Grayson Global immediately._ Daniel was already on his way. What could be so important he wondered?

**Grayson Global**

"There you are!" said Conrad.

"I came here as fast as I could." Daniel replied.

"We have a _slight_ problem."

"What is it? Is it about the explosion or the blackout?"

"Sometimes before the servers went down, Aiden Mathis, who I am quite sure you are acquainted with, was responsible for bankrupting Grayson Global"

"NO, no, no. This can't be happening. I knew he was trouble. How did he get the resources in the first place? And what are we suppose to do now?" Daniel realized that at this point, he started to yell. "-I knew he was no good. That was why he went after Emily! That was why he went after my goddamn job! That's why he went after this COMPANY!"

"First of all, I need you to calm down." Conrad said, offering his enraged son some water.

"What am I suppose to do? That bastard took all of our funds, and we are left with nothing! All those years of hard work, all of those late nights. All of the work _you_ put into it is wasted."

"Daniel, we can find other ways to make money. This is good, it's a challenge. I like challenges, and we are Grayson men, we have gone through many worse situations. **We** can rebuild this company from the bottom to the top once again. What do you say?"

"I am done Dad, there is no _we._ I cashed in that check you gave me already and you know what? I am getting out of here with Emily, as far away as I can from this family. I don't need this."

"Son, I can't do this without you. I'm begging for your help. You're still young, and you have a life ahead of you. You can settle down a few years from now and it wouldn't make a difference. I need your help. Plus, we are family, and we stick together remember?"

Just last summer, family was everything Daniel had, and it was everything Daniel cared about, and then Emily came into his life, and the definition of family suddenly included her. Especially after Daniel had found out the disgusting things that Conrad and Victoria had done just to save their reputation was repulsive. And then, Daniel remembered that he too was falling into the footsteps of Conrad, and David Clarke was, in this case Aiden Mathis. This was also part of the reason that he wanted to go to Paris. Away from all the madness, he would incriminate Aiden and that was all. He would leave this self destructive lifestyle behind. But that was so hard to do, when the past always had a way of catching up to him. This time though, by the look on Conrad's face, Daniel knew that there was a seriousness, and almost darkness in his tone.

**Grayson Manor**

"Ashley, I need to talk to you. If you could join me in the study it would be great," said Victoria Grayson.

"Sure, is everything okay?" asked Ashley

"Just fine, but tell me, what are your opinions on Daniel and Emily getting engaged?"

"I'm not really sure that's my place to say Victoria. "

"C'mon, I'm sure you know _exactly_ how I feel about it. Just say it"

"Where are you going with this?"

"You are very well aware by now I don't exactly approve of my son and Emily...and I am also aware that you pursued my son before. All I want to know is if you still have genuine feelings for him."

"Why? It doesn't matter. They are getting engaged and there is nothing I can do about it."

"Well, there is nothing that _you_ can do about it, but I can."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you like my son, genuinely?"

"Yes, but there is no way we even stand a chance after, after what happened. It's impossible" said Ashley in a shameful tone.

"Impossible is a heavy word. I propose a deal" said Victoria, with twinkling eyes, and a crooked smile.

**Grayson Global **

"I'll think about it," replied Daniel to Conrad's proposal.

"That's my son. I expect good news soon, then?" asked Conrad.

"We will see."

Daniel glanced at his phone, it was Ashley calling him. What did she want? He didn't want to talk to her, not now...not ever. She had played him, she had used him, and that was disgusting. She had tried to talk to him many times, but Daniel had just shrugged her off. He didn't want to hear what she had to say. And then he wondered why her betrayal even mattered. He was with Emily now, and he was as happy as he could ever be. Why should he hold a grudge?

"Can I help you?" asked Daniel

"It's me Ashley."

"I know"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"What's up?"

"No, not on the phone but, in person...I have something to show you."

"Why should I care?"

"Trust me. Just meet me at the cafe that closest to your office, and we can talk there. I've got to go now though.."

"I can't. I-"and then Daniel realized that Ashley had hung up.

What could she possibly want?


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note :**

**First off, thank you again to the people that reviewed, all of the reviews bring a smile to my face, and it means so much to me. So, thank you for making my day. :)**

**About the story, I have a feeling this Chapter is really going to anger you guys, and you will probably be shouting obscenities at the screen after reading this, so for that I am sorry...you'll see what I mean. Keep an open mind, and I know that some of the character's especially in this chapter are not in character, but I did intend to put my own spin to it, so if it offends anybody...I apologize. **

**Chapter 5**

**Emily's House**

"Hey Nolan, you didn't have to come check up on me, you know."

"I know, but I wanted to. So, what's going on in that crazy head of yours?"

"This might seem a bit sudden, but do you think my father wanted this for me?"

"Are you doubting your revengenda?" said Nolan in disbelief.

"I know, I have been pursuing this for years, but it's odd, and I don't quite know what to think. I'm really confused. I need some guidance, and right now you're the best guidance I got" Emily said with a nervous smile.

"Ems, the ultimate decision is up to you, but I knew your father more than you think, and if I am honest here, I think that all he wanted to do with that infinity box was to clear his name and he wanted you to know that he was innocent. I don't think that revenge was included. If there's one thing I could tell you is that, revenge isn't bad, but there are limits, and once you cross these limits, it's way too late to turn back, and before you make any decisions, are you willing to sacrifice everything and everyone you love? You will have to give up all and any hopes or chances that you have wishing to live a normal life if you want to fully pursue this, what happened so far isn't anywhere close to the eye of the storm"

"For the longest time Nolan, after my father died, I thought that was it. I had nothing, rather no one to live for, and I now realize how wrong I was. I can't bear to lose more people in my life. Maybe I became soft, but I don't think I want to continue.

"Ems, I don't know what to say. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Daniel? I don't know, it's everything that's happened recently...Amanda, Eli, Aiden, Jack, Charlotte, you."

"Alright, I more than respect that decision. You know, I think Aiden was right. He told me that when he killed Colleen's killer, he didn't feel closure...it wasn't like all his problems went away...it isn't going bring her back. And, revenge is something that we come up with because we aren't fully ready to deal with the loss of a loved one, revenge gives you a purpose to remember that person by, it doesn't give you peace."

"I wouldn't go that far." Emily said with a smile.

"It was worth a shot. But, just one question...what exactly are you going to do now?" Nolan replied.

"It's safe to say that my revenge plans are done, but I still have things to do. I mean, Aiden and Jack are both unaccounted for. It's literally like they disappeared."

"Oh, I got a hang of Jack. He's back in the bar. But, Declan is off to university in a town next to nowhere."

"Where was he though? And, I thought that universities weren't accepting applicants this early, unless he got early acceptance."

"That's the problem they aren't. I did some research and I couldn't find Declan enrolled in any of them. So either Jack is lying, or he's just ignorant, or both."

"Why would he lie? Especially to you. It doesn't make any sense. Sounds a bit too abrupt to me"

"Something's going on, and I have a feeling it's about to get ugly." said Nolan.

"Try getting more information out of Jack"

"I'll try. What about you? Got any plans?"

"I'll try seeing what I can do about Aiden. Daniel might know where he is, after all it all happened after the Grayson's went bankrupt."

"Speaking of, are you going to come clean, to Daniel?"

"Not anytime soon, I don't think, maybe not ever. But, I do want to start off with a clean slate. I love him, and he made me question everything that I was doing, and oddly enough...it was just what I needed."

"I think your father would be proud Ems." Said Nolan

"You think so?" Emily asked with a smile.

"I most certainly do. Anyway, I should get going take care."

"You too" Emily replied.

**Daniel's POV**

Daniel was on his way to the cafe that was right near his office. He didn't know what he expected out of Ashley's somewhat hurried phone call.

Did she have any important information about the Initiative? Was she going to blackmail him? Or maybe this was all just a meeting about his role in Conrad's campaign for governor. A lot had happened the day of the explosion, and the aftermath was bad, it was going to be a while for things to clear up. Hopefully things in Paris would be a lot calmer. He and Emily would have a perfect, utopic, life.

As he parked his car, he saw Ashley and needless to say she looked nervous, almost unsure of what she was going to say.

"Daniel, thank you for meeting me here, I know it was last minute and that you didn't have to-"

"I don't have long, get to the point. You needed to talk to me about something...so get on with it."

"Yes, I think you'd want to sit down first though." She said as she pulled him a chair.

**Nolan's POV**

Nolan didn't know what to think of Emily's recent revelation. He of course was happy for her, but this was Emily he was talking about. All her life she had focused on one goal, it was what had kept her going, and he feared that without that goal she would be lost. She wouldn't know what to do with herself. She had come this far, would she really give up? It could be a temporary thing, last summer Emily had been ready to postpone her revenge goals for Jack, but that was temporary...it literally didn't last longer than a day. Maybe Danny Boy brings out the best in her. He liked Danny Boy, even though he was a Grayson, he truly cared for Emily, and that was all Nolan needed to consider him a decent guy.

As Nolan was driving, he saw Daniel and Ashley sitting and chatting in what looked like an obscure cafe. What were they doing? As Nolan drove a little closer he saw their faces. Clearly Daniel looked mad, and by the looks of it, whatever was happening wasn't pleasant. On the other hand, Ashley looked almost as if she was grinning, she had a victorious emotion on her face which was hard to catch, but was there nonetheless. And, just like that Daniel got up, but the look on his face had changed, he looked confused, and lost. But from the fear of being caught as Daniel was heading in Nolan's direction, Nolan speeded away.

What just happened he asked himself? What was all that about? Should he tell Emily?

**Daniel's POV**

Daniel didn't know what to think of the news that Ashley had given him. He could have thought of everything that Ashley could have said, but he wouldn't have expected it to be _that_.

The news would change _everything_ for Daniel.

**Emily's POV**

Emily felt like a huge load had been lifted off her shoulders. She was free to do whatever she wanted for once, and she felt uplifted. She would no longer have to worry about getting too involved with Daniel. She could finally be with him, and she could go to Paris and be happy...without feeling guilty. Emily picked up the phone that had just started ringing. It was Daniel, and she couldn't wait to talk to him. It was odd; she had never felt so happy in her life. _This _Emily was a completely different person.

"Hello! I am so glad you called, I was just thinking about you." Emily said in a cheery tone.

"What about?" Daniel asked.

"Paris. Can you imagine? Away from this madness, it's exactly the escape we need. These past few months have been so stressful and I-"

"Whoa, hold your horses. What has gotten into you?" Daniel said smiling to himself, even after a storm, Emily could _always_ make him smile. He was going to miss that. He was going to miss _everything_ about her. Her mischievous grin, her beautiful smile, her confident posture, the way she made him feel, the way she would embrace him as if it was the last time. He would miss her. But she _had_ to do it. After what Ashley had told him, it wouldn't be fair. It just wouldn't, and as a tear escaped Daniel's eyes, he knew what he had to do.

"I'm just happy, can't you tell?"

There was a long pause on the phone.

"I need to discuss a few things with you." Daniel said in an ever serious tone.

"Sure, you're going to have to come here though, seeing that I can't really waltz my way to the office today." She said, referring to her broken leg.

"Sure, I'll be there in a few"

"Great, shall I prepare dinner?"

"No, don't think so. I'll have to go back to the office anyway"

"Alright, I'll see you soon." Emily said, preparing to hang up the phone.

"Actually wait...are you still there? Emily?"

"I'm here. What is it?"

"I don't exactly know how to say this."

"Say what? You know you can tell me anything right? You know what, just calm down, come over, whatever it is we can sort out over a cup of coffee."

"I can't" Daniel said in a barely audible voice

After a long pause, all Emily heard on the line was a small sobbing noise.

"I don't exactly know how to tell you this, but I need some time. I need to think some things thorough before our engagement. I know this is sudden, but something major just came up and I have to deal with it."

Emily didn't know if she heard right, was Daniel calling their relationship quits? She was going to give up everything for him, how could he do that to her? Why now? After everything they had been through?

"Daniel, what is_ so_ important that you decided to postpone our engagement...and for the second time too I might add. And, whatever the problem is we can sort it out...together. As a family. I thought that was what you wanted...wasn't it?" Emily replied

"It wouldn't be fair to you."" Daniel said in a low raspy and hushed tone.

"Why are you talking is such a cryptic way? Is this your way of telling me it's over?" Emily said almost in tears.

"I don't know Emily. It's complicated, I want to tell you everything...but I can't. I'm sorry, I really am.

"What happened to that promise you made to me, when we first met? You said, you _would, _and you told me you would always be honest. And after everything we have been through, you want to just give up because of one problem?" Emily pleaded

"I still want to be with you, I just need some time. I'll always come back to you...but-"

"Did Paris mean nothing to you? I don't think you realized just how much you changed me Daniel, and for the better, but I can't wait forever. It's the second time we are breaking this engagement...déjà vu. The same exact place we left it at last year too."

"I know, and I have the worst timing. All I'm asking Ems is for you to simply give me time."

"How much time Daniel? How much time until you decide to break it off a third time?"

"Please, just a year or so, and we can resume everything back to where it started."

"Alright Daniel, but only if you tell me why you're doing this...I'll wait, but I need a good reason."

"Grayson Global has gone bankrupt and my dad wants me to help him jumpstart it..."

"Is that it? Is that why you were breaking this off?" Emily replied in a relieved tone.

"No. There's more."

"Alright, so what is it? What is _so _important that you're breaking off our relationship?"

There was more silence on the phone. Emily figured he wasn't going tell her anytime soon. Maybe they didn't have a special connection. Maybe that was all in her delusional head.

"Fine. Don't tell me. But just know one thing, there is no turning back. It's over"

"No, please I-"

Emily hung up. She couldn't bear it. Daniel had just broken up with her... The man that she was ready to give up her previous life for had left her...just like most people did. After all they had been through, he left.

What would she do now? She could go back on her revenge plans but even then, she wouldn't know where to start. Daniel was gone, and there was no way to get into the family again...and she didn't know if she could. There was Charlotte, she could get close to her...but she wanted to stay away from Daniel. She wanted to stay far away from the Grayson family. Too much of her life had been revolving around them; maybe it was time to leave.

**Daniel's POV**

Daniel couldn't believe that he had broken up with the love of his life. They were supposed to last forever. They were supposed to be inseparable. The thought of hurting Emily and hearing her cry over the phone was indescribable, even worse however was knowing that he had caused it. He had to do it. After what Ashley had told him, he had no choice.

Daniel knew that there was no going back. He didn't know how he would face her. All he wanted to do was to have a happy life with her, but things never seemed to work in his favour. How was he going to live without her? In a long time that night, he started to cry. He had made a mistake, and it cost him the love of his life. What was he going to do now? If only he had avoided the meeting with Ashley. He would be in Emily's arms, and all would be right with the world. But now, _his_ world was gone.

**Victoria's POV**

"Is it done?" Victoria asked Ashley over the phone.

"Yes, but I feel horrible. You should have seen the look on his face."

"It was necessary, and let's not pretend it isn't beneficial for you too."

"He's your son, how could you?"

"Exactly _because_ he's my son, you won't understand now."

"I have go to go check up on Daniel, I don't think he's doing well" said Ashley.

"You do that." Replied Victoria as she hung up.

**Nolan's POV**

"Hey Nolan, can you please come over?"

"Sure Ems, is everything fine? You don't sound too well."

"Just get here soon."

"On my way."

Nolan wondered what could possibly be the problem. Today was a good day, but things in the Hamptons were always changing. He wondered if he should tell Emily about Ashley and Daniel, she deserved to know...right?

The first thing Nolan saw when he walked in was Emily, and she was a mess. Her eyes were puffy and he could tell that she had been crying for a while now, and there were tissues on the floor surrounding her, her eyeliner was running, and Nolan had never seen Emily like that before. It was a horrible feeling, watching his best friend cry, and for the first time ever, Emily Thorne looked defeated and broken.

Without a word, Nolan went over to her and hugged her for what seemed like hours. After Emily had calmed down, she told Nolan what had happened with Daniel. Nolan was really going to kill him. How could he do that to her? And, now he knew why Daniel was smooching up to Ashley...but did she have anything to do with their break up? Did she instigate it? He would figure all of that out soon enough, but right now...Emily needed him, and that was the only thing that mattered.

"What an odd day eh?" Nolan said, trying to cheer Emily up.

"Understatement of the century" she replied in a barely audible voice.

"Back to revenge plans then?"

"Don't think so. If there is one thing I learned today, it's that the Grayson family is trouble...and I can't bear to play their little games. Not anymore. I don't know why even for a second I thought they weren't bad. They had my father murdered, I feel ashamed that I was even in the same room as them."

"So, what then?"

"I need to leave. I need to get away from here, the sooner, the better."

**Another Author's Note (Because, you obviously love reading these...not really)**

**Was I right about the screaming profanities, or was I right? This is kind of where it branches off into a completely new thing, but I promise guys, I will stick to what I said about the pairing, so no need for the pitchforks just yet :P**

**I'm clearly not an amazing writer, and my ideas are not that awesome but if you read this far, I think you should stick around. I have quite a few things planned for this story, but I`ll see if you guys like the story so far and then I`ll continue if you guys like reading it, so make sure to tell me your thoughts and opinions and leave a review! And, if you guys like the story, I'll try updating it quicker. :)**

**AND one last thing...for all the Revenge fans, hang in there guys. I am literally counting down the days until fall.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Thank you guys for the reviews, again...they always bring a smile to my face and they also help me write a lot faster. ;) I'm still deciding whether I should continue this or not, based on the response I get so, review if you can. **

**About this chapter...it's more of like an "aftermath" type of chapter. There is a time difference since what happened last, and a lot has changed. It's centered mostly around Daniel, and the next one's going to be about Emily. **

**AND, for the people that really hate me for breaking apart Daniel and Emily, I ship them like crazy, and that I am a sucker for happy endings. ;) **

**I`ll shut up now, so ENJOY**

**Daniel's POV**

It had been exactly 3 months today that Daniel had broken up with the love of his life. The memory of Emily haunted his very being and he felt like a part of him had died. Everyone else too, saw many changes in Daniel. He was a mess, one could argue if he was even alive. It was a ghost of him that lived. As he lay awake in bed, Daniel could not help but replay the night of their breakup, like he had done for the past 90 nights. Her velvety voice still ringed in his head and her figure still haunted him. Everyone had noticed a difference in Daniel after that night; he wasn't the same smiling person. In fact, he rarely smiled. It was like he had the burden of carrying the entire Earth on his shoulder. He was a misery and he missed Emily more than anything.

"Hey, what're you thinking about?" said Ashley as she lay beside Daniel.

"Nothing just lost in thoughts."

It was the same reply Ashley got every night. But what else could he say? No one would ever understand him, no one would ever get him like Emily did, and that was a fact. He had tried so hard to make things work with Ashley after the intense meeting they had leading to him breaking up with his fiancé. That afternoon, Ashley had told him that she was pregnant and expecting a baby, and that's why Daniel had to do what he did. He couldn't possible tell Emily, he didn't want to...and they were just about to start a new life together and that would complicate everything. He didn't know what to do, there were so many emotions running through his head that he had completely lost it. He could've just ignored Ashley, but he was no monster...especially after recently finding out about Victoria's son, who _she_ abandoned, Daniel just couldn't do the same thing to Ashley. He figured that if he told Emily, she would break if off right away, and so all Daniel did is ask Emily for time. He needed time to figure everything out, he was lost. All he needed was time...but Emily had a point when she said she couldn't wait forever. He didn't blame her for leaving, he solely blamed himself. Daniel often wondered how Emily was doing, was she missing him? Was she with someone else? Was she okay? He desperately wished he could see her radiant face again, even if just for a second. As Daniel lay sleeplessly in his bed, he replayed what had happened three months ago,

_What had he done? Daniel thought. Why was everyone out to get him? First, Grayson Global, then Ashley being pregnant, and now this, me losing the love of my life? As Daniel sat in his office he started to cry. This was one problem that he and Emily couldn't fix. It was his problem, and his burden to bear alone, and as much as he wanted Emily by her side, he knew that it wouldn't be fair to her. He knew that she deserved better than him, and so he let her go. What Daniel wasn't aware of was that, that night he had also let a part of himself go. Of course, Daniel had hoped that they would eventually patch things up again, they always did...right? This phase would pass, he would solve this dilemma with Ashley, somehow and they would be back together resuming their plans of going to Paris. It would be as simple as that. Wouldn't it? As Daniel looked at a picture of him and Emily sitting across from a table, he started to cry, and break out into sobs much like a little child. The next day, when Daniel had woken up, he was still in his office chair, and the first thing he wanted to do was to call Emily, and then he remembered all the events that had occurred yesterday. Its funny how someone's life can drastically fall apart in a matter of seconds he thought. Daniel didn't know what to do with himself...he would be lost without Emily. Just as he was about to get up, his phone started to ring...it was Nolan._

_"Hello?"_

_"What the hell did you do to Emily? Are you stupid? Are you mad? Why would you even think about it? You lied to her, you broke her heart, and you are unbelievable. If I ever see you again, I will make sure you don't live to see another face, you destroyed her. Maybe it was all fun and games for you, but...you know what? On second thought, it was to be expected; after all you are a Grayson. To think that I even let her talk to someone with the likes of you. Makes sense that you aren't saying anything coward. Was this because of Ashley? Did you get back together with her? Actually, knowing you, you and her probably never broke up. Am I right? You are the most despicable human being that I have ever met in my entire life. You are a million times worse than Victoria, and that is saying something. You are the worst Grayson of them all, so congratulations, shall I send you a bouquet of flowers"_

_"Nolan, is she alright? I am really sorry, I really am. But, I had no other choice. You wouldn't understand"_

_"Is she alright? Yeah Daniel, she's perfectly fine! As happy as ever, so thank you. You did her a favor, showing your true colors before it was too late. And another thing, you __**always**__ have a choice." _

_"Nolan I-"_

_There was no one on the other line, Nolan had hung up. He had a point, Daniel did have a choice...he just made the wrong one. What exactly would he do now? Would be help Ashley raise their child? He planned to deal with it by accommodating her, by buying a house for her, and providing her with everything. Once that was done, he would resume back to Emily. And then he realized how unfair it would be to her...these thoughts constantly kept on going in circles in Daniel's brain. He never really stopped thinking about her. The same day, as Daniel was going to Grayson Manor for a change of clothes, he saw Emily's house. The lights were on, and all Daniel wanted to do was to run inside, hug Emily, tell her how much he loved her, tell her how sorry he was, and never let go. But he just stared, he stared at the could've been. _

_"Daniel! I was so worried about you last night. You never came home." said Victoria Grayson from the front porch._

_"Can't talk, I have to get back to the office."_

_"Son, are you okay? It looks like you've had a rough night. Have you been crying? What happened? Whatever the problem is, we can fix it. What is it?" She said in a desperate tone, stopping Daniel from the front door. _

_"It's none of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me."_

_"Your'e my son, so of course it's my business so stop acting like a five year old child and tell me what happened."_

_"I BROKE OFF THE ENGAGEMENT WITH EMILY. SAD NEWS ISN'T IT? IT WAS WHAT YOU WANTED ALL ALONG. PLEASE, REJOICE AND DANCE WITH EXCITEMENT. You couldn't be happier and I know it, so don't pretend even for one second that you can help me, because you can't. All you ever do, and ever will do, is just going to make things worse." Daniel shouted. _

_"I...I don't know what to say. I'm at a loss of words. I actually had just grown accustomed to Emily, and her constant determination to be part of the family._

_"Don't you see? She never wanted the Grayson name, and I for one, agree with her. Our family is just disgusting, the things we do to save our backs, the people that we kill. Being a Grayson is the biggest disgrace mother. And save it, I am very well aware about your distaste with Emily. Now, if you will excuse me..." he said, as he rushed upstairs to change._

_Once Daniel had freshened up, he looked outside the porch and he saw Emily coming out of her house. It was too distant to see her face, but he saw her, and that was good enough for Daniel. She was looking out into the lake, and she was lost in her own thoughts, probably about last night. She looked calm, she look poised. After everything she had been through, Emily could always rise above the flames. She always found the strength to let go, she was amazing, she really was. But seeing her, and knowing that he would never get hold such a special place in her heart again, he was saddened. As much as Daniel loved how strong willed she was, he didn't want her to let go. He didn't want himself to be an "ex" that she would casually mention. He didn't want her to forget him. As she turned around, they made eye contact, and for that one split second, it was like time froze. There were so many feeling and emotions in both their eyes, like they wanted to say something...like the wanted to say everything to each other. But, Emily found the courage to smile, and so she did. Daniel just had a broken look on his face. He tried to smile, but he couldn't. How could he smile when he had just lost the love of his life, how could be live without her? As Daniel was gazing at Emily, trying to memorise her every feature so he could never forget her, Nolan came into the scene, diverting Emily's attention elsewhere. He had a few bags with him, and it looked like he was about to go on a trip. Just his luck, away from it all, away from the drama, if only he and Emily were that lucky...he wished he could stay there and look at Emily's smiling undefeated face the entire day, because she still gave him hope, even from a mile away. _

_Just then, Daniel received a text from Ashley "Hey, we still need to talk. You left pretty early yesterday and I didn't get to tell you everything. I know it's overwhelming and I can't imagine what you and Emily are going through right now, but we will sort this out __**together. **__Give me a call soon."_

_He didn't feel like replying. He didn't want to. Daniel didn't want to talk about anything, he needed to be alone. So, instead of going to the office, he went to a bar and tried to drink all of his problems away._

_The next time Daniel woke up, it was 9 in the night. He had managed to drink half the bar, and he was in no position to stand, let alone drive. So, he subconsciously called Emily to ask him to pick her up. After a few rings, she picked up, and he remembered what had just happened last night, and he was about to hang up, until he heard the most soothing and calming voice,_

_"Hello, who is this?"_

_Daniel needed to hear that voice so badly, it felt like she was right beside him...she was right here...his Emily had never left him at all.._

_"Hello, is anyone there?"_

_And, on both the ends there was silence. It was like she too, knew who had called._

_"It's Daniel."_

_Both of them didn't utter a word. They treasured this moment, and both of them didn't want to hang up. _

_As Daniel was about to say something, but there were many disruptions on the other end..._

_"I have to go Daniel, be careful." said Emily_

_"No wait, I need to talk things out with you. I need to see you. I made a mistake Ems, really, I was confused, but we can do this together we can, we will get through it. I just need to see you. Where are you? I love you."_

_Daniel realized that she had hung up quite a while ago, and he was left talking to the empty and blank beeping noise on the other end of the line._

And that was the last Daniel had heard from her in three months. In fact, that day was the last time that he saw her. When he returned back a few days later, her house was empty. It was locked, and it seemed like no one had lived there in ages. She had gone, and Daniel didn't know where. He had tried contacting Nolan, but he had refused all of his calls, and had security block him out of Nolcorp. Needless to say, he was lost without Emily. Sure enough, after she had left Daniel had been completely gone haywire. He wouldn't go to work, he would stay in bars all day, he would drink until he passed out, and then drink some more. There were times where he even had delusions about Emily. He would think that he saw her, even if for a second, and he would smile to himself. Daniel realized that it was no way to live, but without Emily it was the only way to live. Sorrow brought back memories, and as much as those memories were painful, he got to see his fiancé again. Daniel had even gone to prison many times for getting into bar fights. This time, there was no Emily to bail him out. This time, he was alone.

Recently though, Ashley had helped him get out of that downwards spiral. Even though he didn't love her, and even though she was nowhere close to being compared to Emily, Daniel was thankful to her, and that was that. He would try to move on, he couldn't stay lost forever, Emily always had the courage to move on, and get across the worst with a smile in her face, so why couldn't he? He would have to move on for Emily's sake, and that's exactly what he planned to do.

**Another Awesome Author's Note**

**One last thing, please REVIEW. It takes a minute and like thirteen seconds, but makes my day. :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note**

**Thank you SO much for the support on this story, honestly...it means the world to me. And, all of your reviews are so awesome, and they motivate me to continue to write. Sorry it took me a while to update, but I had tough time writing about Emily, in character, but nonetheless, here it is. Enjoy! **

In her office, Emily glanced at the calendar...today was an odd day, a day that she would much rather wanted to forget. Three months from today, Daniel had abruptly broken up with her. It was the first time that she wanted to give up her plan of getting revenge for her father. Once with Jack, but she didn't know what or rather, who she wanted then, but as Daniel re-entered her life, she knew that he was the one, but she was disillusioned. Ironically, on the day that she had planned to start anew with Daniel was the day that she had lost him. To be fair, he hadn't exactly broken up with her, he wanted some time...but Emily decided that she didn't want to wait forever for him. Truth was, that sure it was what she had said to Daniel, but she herself wasn't sure about starting their married life with a lie. She was a completely different person, she was Amada Clarke, and Daniel loved Emily Thorne. She didn't want their marriage to be a lie, so she did what she had to do, and took the opportunity to end things with Daniel. Maybe it wasn't meant to be, every time things looked good between them, complications weren't far behind, they always lurked near Emily, she could rarely find any peace.

Three months seems like a long time, but she had found the courage to move on, and she hoped that Daniel had too. That being said, not a day would go by without her thinking about him. Even though Emily had left the Hamptons, a part of her was still there. She missed its chaos, she missed the house that she grew up in, she missed Nolan her best friend, she missed Charlotte her sister, and she missed Daniel, her ex fiancé. She was happier there, she felt safe with Daniel.

No one would have guessed that the immensely tough, Emily Thorne would give up on revenge, but it was a lonely path and she was reassured that her father would have wanted her to have a happy, and content life. Although, _all _of it wasn't bad, she had learned a lot of things, and met a lot of new people, including Aiden Mathis who was now living with her. Emily had moved on, but she constantly thought back to that night three months ago and what exactly had happened,

_After getting that phone call from Daniel, Emily didn't know how to feel or what to do. She felt like she wasn't good enough for Daniel, she felt like he was having second thoughts about her, and for the first time Emily was defeated. She decided to call Nolan, she needed him. After telling him everything that had happened, Emily felt a lot better. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders. Nolan always knew how to make her feel better. However, she was faced with a dilemma, to continue her revenge plans, or to give up on them completely and live a normal life. The reason she even considered giving up in the first place was Daniel, but now that he was gone, what would she do? _

_After giving it some thought, she knew that whatever the case, she had to get away from the Hamptons, at least temporarily, and although Nolan was against it, it was something that she had to do, she needed her piece of mind, and after what had just happened, she couldn't face Daniel, because the moment she did, she would break down, and she would be left vulnerable. That night, she booked a one way ticket to Canada where she could sort things out because she too needed time just like Daniel. Emily also planned to find Aiden wherever he was, because at the end of the day, she did care for him, and he did matter to her. _

_Emily desperately wanted to call Daniel and say goodbye to him, but she couldn't. She had found enough courage to stand up from yesterday's mess, and she couldn't go back to feeling empty again. She just couldn't. A part of her kept wishing that he would call, tell her about how it was all a mistake, and things would go back to what they used to be, but this was no dream, this was reality, and Emily had learned to separate the two. _

_The flight for Canada was in the night, in less than twenty four hours. She always imagined leaving the Hamptons with Daniel, hand in hand as they left for Paris, but things never worked out the way she wanted. Ever since she was little, Emily had a tough life. She was foolish to think that things would change. The next morning, Emily began to pack her bags, but she didn't feel right leaving without saying goodbye to Daniel, so she decided to write him a letter, and in that letter she would write all the things that she didn't get to say to him on the night of their abrupt conversation. She considered giving the letter to Nolan, but he was just about ready to murder Daniel. Victoria wouldn't give it to him, she hated her, Emily was almost a hundred percent sure that she would burn the letter. Charlotte was nowhere to be seen, so she decided to give it to one person, who might possibly give the letter to Daniel, she gave it to Ashley. The letter had all of Emily's insecurities and inner feelings, ones that she never had never had the courage to tell Daniel, she had also written about where she would be if he needed to call her, but most importantly she had written about how much Daniel had meant to her. Once she gave it to Ashley, a part of her hoped that Daniel would never receive that letter; it was nothing more than impulse, and angst and rage._

_Needless to say, Nolan was devastated upon hearing about Emily leaving. He was the one person that had seen everything, he had seen every side of her, he had been through the happiness, the tears, the heartbreak and everything, and leaving him wasn't easy. But, she had to. As Emily Thorne prepared to leave, she decided to have one last look at the beach, the place she grew up, the place she had so many memories of. As she was staring out at the vast blue water, she felt someone watching her. She turned around and it was someone no other than Daniel. He was on the balcony of Grayson Manor, and as she looked at Daniel, Emily Thorne felt a rush of emotions, she wanted to say so much to him, and as she peered into his eyes, there was a sparkle, a shimmer of hope, that maybe this was the time to fix everything. If she could swallow her pride and go back to him, it would be alright. As they were looking at each other with intensity, she noticed how sad he looked. He looked lost, just as she was, and so hoping to make him feel better, Emily mustered up all her courage and smiled at him. A fake smile, but a smile nonetheless. Seeing him on the balcony looking so indifferent stung Emily, after all he was her fiancé, and she loved him...she still does. But, Emily had to let go. She looked at him one last time, and it was like the silence was screaming with emotions. There was so much left unsaid that night. But, Emily didn't have the courage to talk to him. Even though they had broken up before, Emily hadn't really accepted Daniel's role in her life, he was a pawn in her game. As time passed though, he became everything, and she couldn't talk to him. Not now. He would never know how much he meant to her. Daniel made her feel special, and normal at the same time. Special because the way he treated her, and looked at her made her feel like the luckiest person in the world. He made her feel normal, because with the past that Emily had, she always felt like an outsider. She felt like she was damaged goods, she was lost. When she was with Daniel, she would forget her past and she would feel accepted and unbroken, like a normal person. Just then, Nolan appeared with her bags, and she said her goodbye. Emily would miss this place. She would miss Daniel. When she looked again, he wasn't there. It was the last time she saw him. _

Now here I am, in Paris, Emily thought. Who would have guessed that she would end up here out of all the places she could have gone to? After going to Canada, she had managed to track down Aiden. There was a problem though, he was a wanted man due to the recent corruption of Grayson Global, so her and Nolan cleared his records and made it look like the one who had stolen the money was someone nonexistent and someone who had perished in that explosion. That way, they weren't blaming it on anyone, and the investigations would cease.

Things after the Hamptons weren't easy for Emily. She started having nightmares where she would wake up screaming and then she would be too afraid to close her eyes. The nightmares were about her reliving the last moments of all the people that she lost. It would start off with her dad, and then her mom, Eli, Amanda, and it ended with Daniel. It would be like she was right in front of him, and as painful as it was, she saw him again...and it made her content, but then his smiling figure would fade into the darkness and she would wake up sweating, and crying in her sleep. It was a bad time in her life, and Emily felt truly alone. Nolan was just a call away, but she often felt like she was burdening him with her constant breakdowns so she stayed away from contacting him for a while. Sometime later, she had found Aiden and she didn't feel quite so alone. He was there for her, and he helped her get over the immense and overwhelming feeling of abandonment that Emily had and he helped her to get her life on track.

Even though Emily stopped having those nightmares every night, she would have them occasionally, they had gotten worse though. Recently she would have them at least four times a week. She also still thought about Daniel and she would often find herself alone in the house crying for hours without a specific reason. That's when Aiden decided that he had seen enough of the pain that Emily had been thorough so he proposed a deal. He suggested that she get a job as a distraction from Daniel and that they move to a place much farther than Canada. So, after talking to Nolan he proposed Emily started to work for Nolcorp, and since she already partly owned the company with Nolan, she moved to Paris, and started to work at a branch there. Emily still kept in contact with Nolan after that. They would chat and talk everyday and it was like Nolan had never left. He was still always supporting her and helping her through all the problems. She and Aiden were content working for Nolcorp, but it went under the new name of Clarke Corporation, named after Emily's dad. Even though it was a distant sub division of Nolcorp, she got full control of it; she genuinely enjoyed the work that she did. And although she was the head of the division, Emily liked to do a little bit of everything. She started to invest all of her hours in making the company better, and made the company's profit and value rise. She no longer spent her days lost and alone; it was almost like she had something to take care of. She had a purpose.

And as she lay in her empty office, she wondered about Daniel...what he was doing, where he was, if he remembered her. It was like she followed her daily schedule. Her day always started and ended with Daniel. She always wanted to know how he was doing, but, it was never as simple as asking Nolan. He never mentioned him for whatever reason, and he would always avoid the topic of talking about him.

"Here, I got you some coffee, thought you could use it." Aiden said, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Thank you." She said as she motioned him to sit beside her.

"We have a huge proposal for our company coming in next week. It could be big. We would make a lot of profit. I was just doing some paperwork. I sent the papers to Nolan, to see if he approves."

"That's great news. See if you can set up an online meeting with the representative."

"It's an up and rising company, and I think investing with it might be a very good idea."

"What's it called?"

"Infinity, I find that a little funny." Aiden said, kissing Emily on the cheek and then preceding to leave the room.

"Ironic." She said, as she traced her tattoo with her finger.

**Author's Note**

**Please REVIEW, and give me your thoughts and opinions, it's my fuel for writing faster. And, the past two chapters really set the stage, and set things in motion for what's coming in the next chapter, and it's going to be pretty interesting, in my opinion. :) **

**Thanks for all the support. You guys are awesome. **

**& Review, Review, Review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note**

**Sorry for the late update, but here is the next chapter. :) I hope you guys like it. **

**Emily's POV**

"Hey Ems, how have you been? It feels like I haven't talked to you in forever." said Nolan, on the phone.

"Nolan, I have missed you so much. How have you been?" said Emily with an outburst of energy.

"Wow, Ems. I can hear you grinning from all the way here."

"Well, what can I say? I miss my best friend."

Emily liked to talk to Nolan. He reminded her of all of her days in the Hamptons, he reminded her of all the things she missed. He reminded her of Daniel.

"It's been pretty dead around here without your glares."

Emily started to laugh genuinely. Something she hadn't done in a while.

"Hey, why don't you pop on over for a visit, we can do revenge-y stuff, like the good old days."

"I don't know Nolan...I'd love to see you again...but, I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"If you're referring to Danny boy, he's not going to be a problem, so don't worry."

It had been ages since someone had mentioned Daniel. It was like Emily was deprived of hearing his name. It had always been a forbidden word, Aiden never mentioned him, and she felt like she always had to suppress her feelings about Daniel when she was with Aiden. It was almost like Aiden loved the part of her that was Amanda Clarke, and Daniel loved the part of her that was Emily Throne. The question was, who was she?

"Thanks for the offer, but there's also so much work to do around here." She said referring to the company.

"It's called employees, those amazing people that help run the company? You don't have to do everything. You and Aiden should really visit; take a break from constantly overworking yourself you know..."

"And, if you're worried about a certain ex, like I said...not a problem. He's rarely ever in the Hamptons, he has a house in the city now. Plus, you've moved on and so has he." Nolan said, the last part was said in a whisper but Emily heard it nonetheless.

Emily's heart sank when she heard that. He had moved on, and she should be happy, but why did it hurt so much? She had always known that there would be a time where he would forget her, so why did it hurt so much?

"I don't know Nolan..." Emily's voice started cracking up and she was well aware of the fact that she was about to cry.

"Will you give it some thought?"

"I'll call you later."

Emily hung up the phone. She hated Daniel. No one had ever made her feel so weak. He always multiplied her emotions. She became passionate with Daniel. When she was with him, even the smallest thing would make her laugh, and even the smallest thing would make her cry. Daniel still had that control over her...and she hated him for it. In that moment, Emily realized that she hadn't really moved on, despite the lies she told Nolan and Aiden. But, she couldn't pine over him forever, especially now that he had moved on.

"Hey, I'm heading out for lunch. Want to come?" Aiden asked entering her office.

"Sure, let me just go grab my coat."

"So, why the long face Amanda? Is everything alright?"

"I talked to Nolan a few minutes ago..."

"And, what'd he say?"

"He thought we should visit him...in the Hamptons."

"And...? wait, don't tell me you're _actually_ considering it."

"Maybe I am. I feel like I need a break."

"A break? Sure, a break is going to Hawaii, a break is going to Switzerland, a break is going to Canada. A break is _not_ going to The Hamptons. What good has that ever done you? Every time you go there, you always come back more miserable than before." Aiden's tone had gone from calm to shouting in a matter of seconds.

Emily said nothing. In all honestly, she was scared of Aiden's sudden booming reaction.

"I'm sorry. It's just that we've come so far, we've moved on from that horrible place. And, do you really want to go back there Amanda?"

"It may not make any sense to you, but I need closure. To fully move on, I need to just go back there, even if it's just for a day. And I really want to see Nolan."

"When you say _closure _you are referring to your ex fiancé, aren't you?"

"No, yes...maybe. I don't know. It's everything..."

"You still haven't moved on then?"

"I don't think so. But, I've tried everything Aiden. I really have, but I think about him every day, I still have nightmares about him. He's still a part of my life, and I don't like it. I want to forget him; I want to start over, with you. It's not fair, what I'm doing to you. You have been so patient and kind with me, you've helped me out through terrible times, but I'm leading you on."

"Amanda, I will wait for you. I don't care if it takes a few more years for you to move on, I don't. I'm always here for you, and I think I'm not fair with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I dragged you here, to Paris. I planted the idea of getting a distraction from him, and getting a job. I was forcing you to move on, when you weren't ready, and I am sorry for that. I was just so happy to have Amanda back that I forgot you had to let go of Emily fully."

"Aiden, you say that...but Emily Thorne is a part of me too. I can't just let her go. She is me, and you have to accept that."

"You say that, but I have seen Amanda without Emily. Emily is a person you made up, she's not you. And, I will wait until you have fully moved on. So, if you need to, go to the Hamptons, and sort things out. I`ll always be here."

"Emily is a part of me Aiden. You just don't know her. Come with me."

"If Daniel or anyone sees me, then I'll go to jail. I was the one involved in making their company go bankrupt."

"We cleared the record. They couldn't arrest you even if they wanted to. They would just have meaningless accusations against you."

"Aren't you worried about someone seeing us together?"

"Why would that matter? I clearly need to move on from Daniel, but that doesn't mean alone. I'll need you."

"Amanda, I can't. Someone needs to look after the company."

"Alright, are you sure you're okay with me going?"

"As long as you hurry back to me," Aiden said kissing her.

"Thank you."

After her talk with Aiden, Emily felt happy, she felt excited. She felt like a little child who was going to Disneyland for the first time. Her and Aiden had finally talked about their feelings, ones that they had been bottling with their emotions for far too long. They first thing Emily did was book the tickets, she booked the most next flight out of Paris, and she didn't tell Nolan. She wanted to surprise him. It was true, what Aiden had said about the Hamptons, it was a miserable place...but to her it felt like home. It gave her a sense of belongingness. Emily hadn't really thought of what she would do when she encountered Daniel, _if _she encountered Daniel. But that would be then, nothing could spoil her mood. Plus, she felt like going back to the Hamptons would be a good start to move on, things were left in a rush last time, she would heal those wounds this time around, and then she would be with Aiden. All would be right once again. But Emily was suspicious, whenever things seemed to go remotely right in her life, they would always fall back, and she would be left in chaos. That night, Emily didn't have any nightmares.

**Daniel's POV**

"Ashley, I'm getting late. Call me if you need anything." Daniel shouted from across the room, to his girlfriend who was in the shower. He was getting late, and today was an important day for their company. They were going to start and invest with a very famous company.

Once they had found out that Grayson Global had gone bankrupt, Daniel insisted that they change the name of the company to a new one, that was clean, and not affiliated with illegal business. The new company that Daniel and Conrad now ran, was called Infinity. Daniel had chosen the name, with the utmost thought. It reminded him of Emily Thorne, specifically her passion, and drive to always be the best, which is what he wanted this company to be, the best. He also liked the concept on infinity, even before he met Emily. He found the symbol to be so simplistic, yet meaningful...an unending loop, which can have so many interpretations.

As Daniel was driving to work, he was reminded of Emily. Recently everything reminded him about her. He couldn't help thinking about her. What would she be doing right now, he wondered. He had tried to get a hold of her, but there weren't any traces of Emily Thorne after that explosion, it was like she had disappeared. He had searched every database, but she was gone. Daniel was left to accept the fact that she wasn't coming back for him. It was the bitter and cold truth. Ashley's pregnancy had been a distraction from constantly thinking about Emily...if it weren't for Ashley, Daniel would have gone insane. He still didn't know what he would do when the baby comes, she was due in 2 months, and there was an obvious baby bump that showed. Of course he wanted to be a dad, but only ever with Emily.

Emily, the girl that was his life, once upon a time, the girl that would always make him feel like the happiest person in the world. The girl that was the most beautiful and confident woman he had ever seen. He missed her, more than he liked to admit. Whenever he thought about her, his stomach lunged and did cartwheels, like a lovesick teenager's. He had never thought things would turn out this way, they were meant to be forever. _They_ were meant to last for infinity, they were supposed to be in that never ending loop of love...but life had other plans.

As he reached his office, Daniel noticed his dad in his office.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you, about our company"

"Everything's fine?"

"I wanted to change the company name back to Grayson Global."

"Why would you do that? Why would you want to change it back to that filthy name? Plus, everyone is going to be investigating again, as to what happened at the explosion, and the reason we shut that company down, was because it had a bad reputation."

"Daniel, the reason we shut it down was because it was bankrupt. And, I feel like we need the attention from the press, I'm going to be running for governor again this time around, and I would like to spin the stories so they are in my advantage. I know that the name holds a special meaning to you, but this company is nowhere as popular as Grayson Global. Any media is good media, and this company is getting no special attention."

"We have many clients that are interested in this company Dad, and what happened to the Grayson's liking a challenge?"

"That's the best part. These clients are not going to leave once we change the name, so in that case, we have double the investors. And, the previous clients from Grayson Global would also come back, increasing the company's credit by billions."

"So, why did you agree to change it in the first place?"

"Not to be rude son, but I needed you on my side, and so I had to do what you say...but, I mean...you're relationship with Emily is platonic, quite like this company, so wouldn't it be fitting to change it?"

"That's just great dad. You manipulated me."

"Don't you see son? Once we change the name back, Grayson Global will have doubled its profit, and we will be better off than we ever were, not to mention back on track."

"Fine, do whatever you have to, just let me be. I have a lot of work to get started on."

"Glad we had this talk. Oh, and another thing. Visit your mother sometime. She has been going crazy in that old house of ours. She might not be your favorite person in the world...or even close to that, but she is your mother." Conrad said, as he exited the office.

It wasn't that Daniel hadn't visited the Hamptons, he had...in fact, he went there every week, and he just didn't go there to see Victoria. Daniel went to see Emily. Once she had left, Daniel had a spare key of her house, and so he would go there every week, and just sit there and think. It was this quiet place. He would go there every time he wanted to get away from reality, it was his utopia. He house still had a faint smell of Emily's perfume. He would often go there, make himself tea, and read the book of poems that she had given him, on his birthday.

_Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts._

It was Daniel's favorite quote. It was their quote. Or, at least it used to be. Her place felt like home, _she_ felt like home. He would then, clean her house, as if she had never left, and there were times where he spent the night there. Of course, no one else knew. Everyone thought he had gotten over her, but Daniel knew that he never could, and no matter how much he tried to deny it, it was the truth. If it weren't for Ashley's pregnancy, Daniel had every intention of finding his fiancé, even if he had to search the ends of the earth, he would...but things were complicated. He often considered leaving Ashley, but what would he say? The baby was his as well, and Daniel promised that even though the circumstances weren't anywhere near perfect, he would love his son, and give him all the affection in the world, he would be the dad he never had. This is why they had to give their relationship another try, so he and Ashley were dating...again. History has a funny way of repeating itself he thought.

"Mr. Grayson, the client has requested an online meeting with you this week. Are you free for Monday? That's two three days from now."

"Sure Grace. Tell them I'll be there. And, can you send me some information on the company?"

"Will do, it's called Clarke Corporation, and I'll send you their files."

"Thanks."

Clarke Corporation. That was an ironic name, Daniel thought.

Before Daniel knew it, everyone at Infinity, or rather, Grayson Global had gone home, and Daniel decided to call it a night. He decided to call Ashley,

"Hey, I'm leaving in 15 minutes, so I'll be there soon." He said.

"I'm actually at an event that I was planning for months, remember?"

"That was today? I completely forgot."

"Of course you did," Ashley retorted.

"I'm sorry, are you going to be back anytime soon?"

"Don't think so, look, I have to go, call you later. And, I ordered some takeout for you, if you're hungry."

"Good Luck."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

It was times like this that he missed Emily the most. She always made time for him, and they would always have dinner together, she would make him feel special. Not to mention, that the food she made was to die for. Being with Emily, he felt more like a family...being with Ashley felt more like an obligation. But Daniel liked to think that he had moved on, and so he pushed all these thoughts aside and headed home. Emily was the past; he had a present and the future to worry about.

**Emily's POV**

Her flight had just landed, and it was 12:00 in the night. Emily figured that she would call Nolan in the morning, she was tired, and wanted to go _home. _She breathed in the air, as soon as she exited the airport. It smelled like the Hamptons, it was beautiful. It was quiet and it was serene. Emily felt at peace. She started to smile to herself like an idiot. She was going _home_, at last. So, she proceeded to call a taxi.

"Thank you" Emily said to the cab driver, handing him his money.

"Have a good night." He replied.

She looked at her surroundings. The first thing she saw was the beautiful beach, and the waves that were crashing into it, the water was glistening, and glowing, much like her. Without realizing, Emily was smiling to herself over the feeling of nostalgia. She then looked at the unavoidable Grayson Manor. All the lights seemed to be out, except for one. Someone was in the room, near the balcony. She couldn't see who it was, but at this point, it didn't matter. Last but not least, she looked at the little house right by the manor, _her_ house. It looked perfect. Not too big, and not too small. Even though it was hidden in the shadows, she could easily make out every single detail. She reminisced about all the memories she had had there, there were so many precious moments ones with her and her Dad, ones with Jack when they were kids, and even ones with Daniel.

Daniel. She had completely forgotten about him. Would he be here? Or, was he in the city, like Nolan had said. As much as Emily wanted to see him, she would try to keep a distance...she was only here for a week, and she was here to move on, not relive the past. So, she concluded, Daniel would have to be avoided at all costs.

She opened her door, and the first thing she noticed, was the fact that her house looked as if she had never left at all. Emily distinctly remembered that when she had left, she had covered all of the furniture in white sheets yet, none if it was covered. The place was spotless. She was amused. It must be Nolan she thought. She mentally reminded herself to thank him in the morning but right now, she was tired, and so she quickly moved all of her bags in the house, and slept on the sofa. It was a peaceful night, ones that were rare in Paris.

**Author's Note Again**

**I hope you guys like the story, and thank you so much for your support!**

**But**, **I need advice on something,**

**Should I end the story soon, in a few chapters or should I continue writing and make it a longer story? If you could let me know your thoughts and opinions, that would be very appreciated, thank you. :)**

**Oh, and PLEASE REVIEW. It honestly motivates me to write faster and it makes me the happiest person in the world. :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **

Without further ado, here is Chapter 9. I hope you enjoy it. And, part of the chapter, goes back to something that happened in Chapter 5, where Ashley and Victoria are making a deal, if you remember. So, to jog your memory, feel free to read part of that chapter. I think it's pretty self explanatory and you should be fine, but just thought I'd let you know. :)

**Ashley. **

It was 5:00 in the morning and Ashley had just finished with her event. She had been busy planning this for three months, and it was a huge success. She was happy with her job, because it was a distraction from everything that was going on. By that of course, she was referring to the Grayson's. That family was definitely one to stay away from, and Ashley had learned it the hard way. Once you become too involved in the Grayson family, there really is no turning back. She remembered a conversation that she had had quite a few months ago, that significantly changed her life. It was back when Ashley was still in the shadows, just working for the Graysons, it was back when things were much simpler. After a long day Victoria had called Ashley in her office and proposed a _deal_ regarding her son, and his fiancée, Emily Thorne. She thought back to that precise moment;

_"I want you back together with my son." Victoria said, ever so confidently. _

_"That's impossible. He had no feelings whatsoever for me...we went over this." Ashley said with a slight frustrated tone. She was in no mood to hear whatever Victoria had in mind. It had been a long day, and Ashley just wanted to go home._

_"There is one __**sure**__ way that he will take you back. He'll have to..."_

_"Right, and what exactly is that?" _

_"If you're pregnant..."_

_"Okay... and how am I going to get pregnant exactly...?" Ashley asked rhetorically, without any interest_

_"That part is easy...all you need is-" Victoria replied, before she got cut off._

_"I get the picture thanks, but Victoria, it's been a long night...let's just drop this. You're clearly out of it today, and so am I..." Ashley said proceeding to leave the room._

_ "Pretend. Fake it. Put on a show. __**Act**__"_

_"Is this some kind of joke?"_

_"Tell my son that you are expecting a baby, and that it is his...knowing him, there is no way he would brush that off. He is too naive and innocent to ignore something huge like that. And, if you play your cards correctly, Emily Thorne will be the past, and you and my son will quite possibly be able to start a family together. A family of your own. Isn't that what you always wanted?"_

_"You're kidding right? How do you __**fake**__ a pregnancy? And, how exactly am I going to come up with a baby? They don't just pop up from thin air."_

_"First, I need you to tell me whether you are in this or not."_

_"Yes...I think so...but you need to give me all the details first."_

_"To start off, we have the bump. That can be easily fixed with some stuffing. Mind you, there are actual baby bumps that you can buy, which makes this really easy. Then, you have the cravings and the mood swings...which can be easily faked, and it's all up to you so as long as you make it convincing, you're safe. Next comes the check-ups and the regular ultrasounds, and for that I have many contacts that can fake those...as long as you make sure that Daniel isn't insisting on being there, when they are done. This will again, be easy because he will be immersed in Grayson Global, and have no time for such things. So, everything's pretty much layed out for you on a silver platter."_

_"What about you know, the actual delivery part? What happens after the nine months are done? Eventually, my charade will have to end there."_

_"Not necessarily. All I need you to do is trust me. I have everything figured out. And I will be helping you all the way through this."_

_"Not to be rude, but what's in it for you?"_

_"Well, it gets rid of Emily Thorne. That woman is trouble..." _

_"And, you're okay with me and your son?"_

_"I'd have to be yes..."_

_"Alright then Victoria, you have a deal."_

Ashley didn't know what she was getting into then. She loved Daniel, but it all felt wrong. The only reason they got back together was because of a lie. And, she could tell that Daniel didn't reciprocate the feelings that she had for him, he was doing it as an obligation. A few months, after she had told Daniel about her so called pregnancy, things had been hard. Daniel couldn't talk to her properly, and he would often go drinking, and get into all sorts of trouble. That's when Ashley came on to Daniel more as a friend than a lover. She helped him get back on track, and she helped him move on from Emily. Since then, their relationship had become better. Things were finally where they were supposed to be. There was no Emily in the equation. It was just him and her. Of course, there was the time where Emily had dropped by her house, the day before she left...she had given Ashley a letter and asked her to pass it on to Daniel. Ashley obviously couldn't let him see the letter, so she carefully put it in a secure drawer in her table, and locked it. She never regretted that decision. Ashley was glad that Victoria had come to her with this deal. She finally felt like she belonged. For too long she had been in the sidelines, being bullied by these rich people. Victoria had given her another chance at starting a family with Daniel; she had given her a golden ticket into their family. But, as they were getting nearer to the actual due date of the baby, she became more concerned about how it would all work out. It was a given that Victoria was smart, and that she had everything planned out, but mistakes are bound to happen, she thought. Ashley really didn't want to risk Daniel finding out, so she had been really cautious the past few weeks about everything she did, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that there would be complications, in the so called flawless plan. As she parked the car in the driveway, she got rid of the skepticism and decided to call it a night.

**Daniel.**

Daniel woke up the next day with a smile on his face. He didn't know why, but he was in a particularly good mood. The weekend had finally arrived, and it was a beautiful day. He didn't have any plans today; all Daniel wanted to do was relax. It had been a stressful and hectic week and he was glad it was over. As he made his way downstairs after getting ready, he heard Ashley talking on the phone with someone. As she hung up, Daniel asked;

"Who was that?"

"It was Victoria, she was wondering if we could drop by today. It has been a while since we've seen her, and she really wants us to visit."

"You know what I feel about seeing my mother Ash."

"I don't know why you have such a problem with her. She has been so supportive of us in the past few months. We owe it to her to drop by. Plus, she wants to discuss a few things about the baby..."

Daniel had always found it odd, just _exactly_ how supportive she had been. When he had told her about Ashley being pregnant, she couldn't be happier. It was almost strange. Victoria had never been so supportive of Daniel's companions. She always hated them, but when it came to Ashley she oddly approved.

"There is no way my mother is getting involved in _this_."

"Look, I could really use the extra help from her...you are never here, and she has had experience with kids, so I really need the helping hand."

"Fine, tell my mom that we can drop by today." Daniel sighed.

"Thank you!" Ashley said hugging him

"And, another thing...the weather's really nice, and sunny. Can we just stay at the Hamptons this week? We can hang out by the beach, and just relax. You need a vacation, and so do I. This baby is really tiring me out."

"Sure...sounds like a plan."

"Great, I'll get packing."

**Emily. **

Emily had woken up early that morning with a smile on her face. She glanced at the time; it was 10:00 in the morning. She woke up, and started to prepare some breakfast. To her surprise, the refrigerator was fully stocked with all of her favorite things. She definitely had to thank Nolan for that, she said to herself. It was a nice day, she looked out onto the beach and people had started arriving hoping to take advantage of the beautiful day. She quickly got ready, and decided to call Nolan.

"Hello" Emily said in a mischievous tone.

"Hey! Ems, where have you been? I tried calling the office and no one would pick up."

"Funny story actually, something came up..."

"Everything's okay right?"

"Everything's perfect. You wouldn't believe where I am."

"Okay then, where are you?"

"The Hamptons"

"What? This isn't funny...you can't be...you are? Oh my god, you are here, aren't you?" Nolan exclaimed, more to himself than Emily.

"Surprise!"

"Wow, I think that was the _best_ surprise you have ever given me...so are you at your house? I'm on my way. Wait, you're not just pranking me are you? You're physically, actually, here."

Emily started laughing on the other line, at Nolan's disbelief, "Yes, I am physically here...but I was going to head on over at your house."

"Oh, I'm currently at the Stowaway, so I'll come to you...its closer."

"What are you doing there?"

"I'll explain later...I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Alright, and I will be waiting."

She hung up the phone, and went out on the porch. As she sat by the swings, she remembered just how much she missed this place. She looked at the Grayson Manor, and sighed at all memories that came rushing back to her.

**Daniel. **

"And, we're here." Daniel said pulling into the driveway of Grayson Manor. It had been a while since he had been here...it felt so odd, it didn't feel like home...not after Emily had left. Now, the Hamptons felt empty.

"You can pretend to be a little more excited you know, she's your mother...not a murderer."

"You'd be surprised." Daniel said as he rang the doorbell.

From the corner of his eye he looked at Emily's house. It looked like it always had, but there was something different about it this time around...he couldn't quite place a finger on it...then, he saw Nolan arrive and wait outside the door. What was _he_ doing there? Nolan never came here anymore...he would always steer clear of this area...just then, someone opened the door. Daniel peered to see who it was, but he got interrupted by Victoria.

"Hello there. How nice to see you after so long..."

**Emily. **

As she was waiting on the porch for Nolan, she saw a car pull up at Grayson Manor...the car was familiar to her by all means. It was Daniel's. She couldn't see exactly who was in it, but she took an educated guess. Emily was anticipating seeing Daniel since...well, since the day she left, but here she was, and she couldn't bring herself to see his face. She was trying to move on, and she wanted to avoid him...so she quickly went inside the house, before he saw her. Now that Emily thought about it, he had caused her so much pain. She wasn't sure that she would be able to forgive him...he didn't even give her any reason for breaking up with her. It was like it was all a game to him, he played her. But she had been evil too, he was once a pawn in her game...but it became much more than that, he changed her for the better. Daniel made her realize that there was much more to life than revenge, he had really opened her eyes, but one night...he just gave up. He gave up on her, and she wouldn't forget. She had even left a letter for him...with her whereabouts. If he really wanted to, he would have contacted her...but Daniel had changed. He had become a Grayson, what more was to be said. As she was lost in her thoughts, a tear rolled down her cheek. She had been avoiding having this epiphany for so long, but it was unavoidable. She had to face the cold, hard facts..and the fact was that he had left her. She quickly wiped the tear, and smiled. She was here to move on, and that's exactly what she was doing...even if it hurt.

Just then, someone knocked on the screen door. She freshened up, and went to open it. It was someone no other than her best friend. She smiled at him.

"Nolan!" she said, embracing him.

"Wow, Ems...your hugs are killer...literally, I don't think I can breathe."

"Very funny. I missed you! It's so great to finally see you!" she said, still hugging him.

"It's really you...I couldn't believe it over the phone, but gosh, I missed you so much too. Do you know how boring it is in the Hamptons without you? And, talking on the phone just isn't the same as talking to you, face to face. You're actually here...it's amazing."

Emily started laughing at Nolan's sudden outburst.

"Well, Paris is a bore without you too." Emily replied.

Emily and Nolan talked for hours. They were both catching up on each others' lives. So much had changed around them, but at the end of the day, the two best friends were the same. They laughed, and cried, and Emily felt like she was home. She thought back to a quote that she loved and smiled at how true it is.

_Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts._

"Oh, and what were you doing at the Stowaway?"

"That is a complicated story. A few days after you left, Jack was nowhere to be seen. He completely vanished, and I couldn't track him down. When Declan found out, he dropped out of university and had to handle The Stowaway all by himself, as well as Karl. A few months later, he showed up and started acting like nothing had happened. He refuses to talk about where he went or what he did to anyone. And, he's been acting really odd lately. So, I often drop by and help him, with Karl. He's has been having such a one track mind lately, so I try and help out. But, something's changed about him, I don't know what, but I'd stay away from him."

"After Amanda's death, he probably found it too much to handle and freaked out. I'm sure everything's fine. I mean, I can't blame him, raising a kid all by himself must be hard. I was actually thinking of visiting him."

"Anyways, how are things with you and Aiden?"

They talked all through the day about their lives...and before they knew it, the day had come to an end.

**Daniel.**

"Ash, I need to get some fresh air. I'm going to go for a walk, want to join?"

"I was actually thinking of going to bed early, I'm very tired..."

"Alright then, I'll be outside. Tell me if you need anything."

"Okay. Good Night."

"Good Night."

**Emily. **

Nolan had decided to stay over, it had been a fun day, and they didn't want it to end. Emily hadn't had this much fun in years. She felt like a child again, she felt carefree, like all her responsibilities had faded, and it felt good. She was about to go to bed, when she remembered that she had forgotten to call Aiden in all this madness. She quickly reached for her cell phone, and called him. For whatever reason, her cell phone wasn't receiving a signal.

"Nolan, I'm going to go outside, I can't get a signal in here."

"Yeah, alright, be careful."

"Stupid phone..." she muttered to herself as she slammed the screen door, and walked outside.

She walked around different parts of the beach, and when Emily finally got a signal, she sat down in the sand facing the beach, and called Aiden.

"Hey!" Emily said with enthusiasm.

"Amanda?"

"Yeah, I think so." Emily joked.

"It's not funny, not in the slightest. I was so worried. You didn't call or text or anything, and I tried to get a hang of you, but the call wouldn't go through. You're okay right?"

"I'm fine. Sorry about that...I couldn't get a signal."

"Well, how's your vacation going so far? I want to know everything."

"It's amazing. I really wish you were here. I saw Nolan today, and we had so much fun talking, and catching up. Tomorrow, I'm planning on going to the Stowaway and visit the Porters and, gosh this place brings back so many memories."

"That's great...I'm happy for you. But hurry back soon, things are crazy without you. And, is there anything I should be worried about specifically a Grayson _or_ a Porter?" Aiden asked.

"Of course not, you know I love _you_"

"Alright if you say so, just be careful. And, I really miss you Amanda.

"I will, and I'll be back before you know it. By the way, I miss you too. It's getting pretty late. I'll call you later. Love you." She replied proceeding to hang up the phone.

Just then, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. As she turned to see who it was, she froze.

**SUPER LONG Authors Note:**

Sorry about leaving it hanging like that, but it's pretty obvious who it is. And needless to say, the next chapter will be one that has been anticipated for a while. ;)

And, I have a few things to say,

First off, **_Thank You_** so much for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I wouldn't have gotten this far into the story without them, so you amazing people, keep being amazing.

Secondly, I will definitely keep thinking of more ideas to enhance the story and make it longer like you guys suggested, so thank you for your feedback.

Thirdly, I would specifically like to thank the people that constantly review on each chapter. I cannot tell you how much it means to me. Thank you for sticking with the story, and I hope it doesn't disappoint.

And, last but not least, to end my essay...I have some semi bad news. I will be going on vacation for about a month, and I don't think that I will get access to the Internet for a while so that means that won't update weekly like I do. So, I am terribly sorry. I will try my best to update while I'm gone, but I can't promise much.

Until next time, you awesome people.

Don't forget to **REVIEW**! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note**

**Here is the long awaited chapter. :) It's the reunion! But...it isn't as fluffy or magical as people were expecting. Just because I'm trying to be a little more realistic in terms of how it would be like...not to say that that fluffy stuff won't be involved, it definitely will soon enough. I hope you guys like it...**

**Daniel.**

Daniel couldn't believe what had happened, as he lay sleepless in his bed, his thoughts wandered off, and replayed the scenario that had just taken place...

_As Daniel was walking along the beach, from far away he saw someone near the shore, sitting in the sand. They looked so relaxed, and free of worries. He already envied them, Daniel was never that lucky. There were so many things that he had to do, and such little time, his worry free days were just a distant memory. As he subconsciously went near the person on the shore, he froze once he heard them talking on the phone. More specifically, their voice...it was so familiar. He could recognize that voice anywhere. He suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia crept over him, and he suddenly remembered all of the happy times that __**they**__ had together. Daniel still couldn't believe it was her...he was probably hearing things, he thought. The woman looked exactly like Emily, the same beautiful wavy hair, the same velvety voice, the same __**everything**__. It had to be her. As he approached closer, he subconsciously tapped her shoulder, hoping more than anything, that it was her. He didn't know what he would say to her, but all he knew was that he __**had**__ to see. As she turned around, and faced him, Daniel could hear his heart beating faster, it was her. It was the woman that had completely mesmerized him; it was the woman that had taken his sanity. It was someone no other than Emily Thorne. _

_"Daniel?" she said, and broke him out of his thoughts._

_He didn't know what to say, he was speechless. Daniel had imagined this moment so many times, and here they were less than a feet apart, and he was dumbfounded. It was ironic, because at the same time, there was so much he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her, and how he had made a huge mistake, he wanted to run into her arms, and tell her how much he loved her...but here they were speechless. It was like everything they had, was nothing but a dream, a cruel dream. They were nothing but __**strangers**__ now, and it hurt. He realized that she was waiting for a reply, and so he simply said, _

_"I didn't know you were back."_

_It was such a formality, he wanted to say much more...but it was the only thing that seemed appropriate. He tried to study her face, but she showed no emotion. She had a poker-face. _

_"I just flew in last night," she said with a smile._

_That smile was one in a million. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her, until right now. She was the most beautiful person in the world, inside and out...she was Emily Thorne. He smiled back without realizing. This woman still had so much control over him, it hadn't even been one minute, and he was already drooling over her, as if they had just met for the first time. All those emotions that he had suppressed over her suddenly came rushing back. _

_"It's so great to see you. I thought that I would never-" Daniel was interrupted by a phone call. It wasn't his phone, it was Emily's. _

_"I'm sorry, I have to get this." She said_

_What was he doing, Daniel thought. He was with Ashley now, Emily was the past. He couldn't just leave her, he had to stop daydreaming. Him and Emily could never be together, no matter how much he wished. There were too many complications, but he couldn't help wonder if she would take him back...he wondered if there was the slightest chance they could be together. _

_"Yeah, sure...I should get going too" he replied. _

_She nodded in response, and answered the call. As Daniel started walking towards Grayson Manor, he suddenly felt a strong urge to tell her how much he had missed her without all the formalities, so he started walking back to where she was...but he heard something that made his hopes shatter...She was talking to someone on the phone, someone that she obviously had feelings for, someone that had possibly __**replaced**__ him. He thought so, because she had said the three words that Daniel yearned to hear, to the person on the other line. How did things change so quickly, he thought as he stood there as lost as ever. Daniel then, slowly turned away with all the misery in the world. He felt envious of whoever she was talking to. That used to be them. He wasn't hurt, he was angry, whoever it was, didn't deserve someone as wonderful as her. But before he did something rash, he hurried back to the manor resisting the urge to look back. He didn't want to wake up in the morning to find that she had disappeared again. In all honesty, he didn't want her out of his sight. He still loved her just as much as he had before. The pain of losing her __**again**__ would be too much to handle._

Was it possible to feel happy and sad at the same time, he wondered? He didn't know how to feel. Why did she still have so much power over him? He was finally moving on, until she showed up, and now he was in pain like never before. He would be reminded every day of what a mistake he had made. Before he met Emily, Daniel was a mess...everywhere he went, people would always refer to him as the party boy that was up to no good. People would blindly judge him, but when he first saw her...there was already something special about her. She didn't jump to conclusions, when she heard of Daniel's past, she didn't run away from him, she stood there...by his side, through everything. Even when he was in jail, no matter how bad the situation looked she had always been there for him. Now that Daniel thought about it, no other person would do that for him. She was remarkable in every single way..but she wasn't his, not anymore. Without her, he had changed. Daniel had become more dreary. He no longer saw the good in people, he had a more cynical approach towards them, without Emily he had become less humane. And, now that she was back, he didn't know how he would face her. On one hand, he desperately wanted to go to her right now, but on the other, he wanted to cower away, and avoid her. The guilt was too much for him...it would be his downfall.

**Emily. **

She had just seen Daniel, and she didn't know how to react. It shouldn't matter; he was someone that had caused her so much pain. But, why did she have butterflies in her stomach? Why did he matter? She had Aiden now, and he was someone that she loved. There were so many thoughts in her head. It was like a huge puzzle. What did she really want? Rather, _who_ did she want? She had been so shocked when she had seen him. As much as she wanted to avoid him, she felt satisfied. And, when Aiden had called and interrupted their conversation, she felt almost mad at him. She wanted to know what he had to say...she wanted to hear _his_ side of the story, because maybe there was a small, faint light of hope for them. Maybe he had his reasons for what he did, and maybe he would finally tell her. And then, just maybe, they could- What was she thinking? Aiden was the one she loved. Daniel had hurt her, and caused her so much pain...how could she even think about giving him another chance. She laughed at how childish she was acting. She would figure this out in the morning...she would tell Aiden what had happened in the morning. She sneaked back into her house, only to find Nolan lounging on the sofa staring at her...

"Was that who I think it was?" he asked.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"Well got up to get a glass of water, and guess what I saw?" he said with a wink.

"Yeah, it was him. But we didn't really have a chance to talk. But it was nothing special."

"So, you're completely over him then? No unresolved feelings?"

"No...maybe...yes? It's complicated."

"Ems, he's nothing but trouble, and there are _many_ ways to prove that. He's just like the rest of the Graysons. Trust me; it's best to forget him, completely."

"I know, but what if he had a good reason to do what he did. Maybe he wanted to protect me? I don't know Nolan, I just think that there is something that I'm missing."

"Trust me, it's a good thing he did what he did..."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing..."

"You _know_ something don't you?"

"Wow, look at the time. I really should be getting back to bed." Nolan said, hoping to change the topic of their conversation.

"Nolan, what are you hiding?"

"It's nothing important Ems, just forget it."

"Alright, I trust you."

"Thank you, and good night."

Emily had just seen Daniel for a few minutes, and they had barely talked and he had already caused her to question **everything** she was doing, just like always. Her and Daniel always had so many complications, it was never easy. Whereas, he and Aiden never had any problems, everything was straightforward...they both knew and understood each other...so why was she so compelled towards Daniel?

**Nolan. **

As happy as Nolan was to see his best friend here, he feared that The Hamptons would bring out the worst in her, especially now that she had met Daniel. Nolan knew that Emily still cared about him, way more than she would like to admit. He still had an effect on her, and it was a problem. That day when he had seen Ashley and Danny boy talking, he had wondered what it was about, especially after he learned what had happened on the same day. Of course now, it was no mystery why they had met up. Ashley was pregnant, and things suddenly couldn't be more complicated. He hated hiding that from Emily but _he_ was protecting her, it would hurt her, more than she would let on. Many time after their break up, Daniel had reached out to him, and he asked him continuously about Emily's whereabouts. He would often camp out outside his office, drunk, and senseless, for many nights, and Nolan would find him passed out on his sofa. He hated to admit it, but there was a time where he had gotten close to Daniel, and Nolan felt sorry for him. He had grown up way too fast, he had seen things that no one should see, and he had experienced pain like no one should, all at once. And, after Emily had left, Nolan had become close with Daniel, and they would often have lunch together now and then and they were friends, only for a brief while. It was not long after, that he had often been seen with Ashley around the city. Nolan then came to his senses about what he had done to Emily, and he completely cut off all relations with Daniel. Soon, he figured out that Ashley and he were back together, and that Ashley was pregnant. Nolan felt like he had betrayed Emily, so he didn't talk about Daniel often, except of course, now. As much as he wanted Ems to stay, he also wanted her to go back to Paris. And then there was the issue about Infinity. Aiden had sent him some paperwork about wanting to invest with that company. Of course that couldn't happen. Daniel was the owner of that company, and Emily had tried so hard to go incognito, that he just couldn't allow it. So he would have to do something about that soon. Daniel Grayson was bad news, and he would ruin Emily's life if they continued to meet, and talk. So, he had to something about it. It was for his best friend's sake...he didn't want her to get hurt again...so he went outside and made a phone call.

**Author's Note Again**

**I hope it's not getting too complicated, because I know that it's been a while since you've read the story, and things might get confusing...if you need to ask anything, or clear any misconceptions, please ask me. :) I might start doing recaps of the previous chapters. **

**Another thing, THANK YOU! I am SO happy with the response I'm getting with the story...I love writing it, and I love it even more when you guys read it, and review...so thank you so much. If you have any suggestions for the story, please let me know. **

**& I am still on vacation, so it's still going to be a while until weekly updates, so I'm sorry about that. Until next time. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note. :)**

**Without further ado, here is my next chapter. It has quite a lot going on so feel free to ask any questions once you're done. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It had been a week since Emily had last seen Daniel, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. She had seen him briefly the next day when he was leaving the Hamptons, but not after that. It was true that she wanted to avoid him, but she also wanted to see him again. Things on the beach didn't go that well, and there were a lot of things that she wanted to say. But, the time wasn't right. Emily was scared that getting close to him would be a problem. She would say things, and do things that she didn't mean. But, she had a lingering feeling that Daniel didn't want to talk to her. There was a distance between them now. Things had changed. She didn't know where Aiden fit, in all of this mess. She hadn't told him about her and Daniel meeting, even though she planned to, it wouldn't be fair to him. The whole purpose of this trip was to get over her ex, but that was way harder than it seemed. Aiden had asked her many times about moving further into the relationship, getting married, starting a family, etcetera. But, she was scared of commitment, she had been hurt too many times by the people she loved, and she had ended up losing them...she couldn't risk it with Aiden. Then again, there are only so many times you can avoid the question. Sooner or later, she would have to give in. Her vacation was going to come to an end very soon, but going back didn't seem right...she belonged in the Hamptons. It was her home, it was the place that held so many memories. She felt like, the Hamptons, was her identity. She became the person she is today, because of this place. Paris was supposed to be a new start, but she didn't have any memories there. On top of that, Nolan had been acting very odd with her...he had been avoiding her phone calls, and he had just been distant. She didn't know why, but she wanted to find out. He was one of the few people that she could trust with her life, but he was definitely hiding something from her. Right now though, Emily had a meeting with someone from the city. She had decided to sell her house in The Hamptons. Even though there were so many memories there, it was holding her back from starting her life with Aiden. She always wanted to come back to The Hamptons, so if she had nothing, to come back for, she would hopefully be able to move on. The person that she had talked to on the phone had seemed very eager to buy the house, and so she wanted to discuss a few things with them. As she got to the restaurant, she booked a table and waited for the person to arrive. It had been an hour or so, and there was no sign of the person. Emily decided that they had probably forgotten, and she started to leave. Just then, a familiar voice behind her, said;

"Sorry about that dear, I was running a bit late."

As she turned around, she saw Conrad Grayson. As he sat down, in disbelief Emily blurted out,

"**You** were the one that wanted to buy my house?"

"Why yes...I find that house very...let's just say, interesting."

"But it belonged to David Clarke."

"Yes, I am very well aware of that thank you. But we'll talk about that later. Shall we order something first?"

Once they both ordered some lunch, Emily sat there wondering what she was getting into. Why would Conrad want to buy it? It was the worst possible decision he could make. What did he really want, and why? There was definitely some ulterior motive to this, she thought.

"Well then, what have you been up to these past few months? And, what brings you here?" he questioned.

"Nothing too important, just travelling." Emily replied coldly, hoping to change the topic of conversation, not wanting to reveal her actual whereabouts.

"To Paris perhaps? I heard it's a quaint little place."

"Wait, this isn't just about the house, is it?" Emily asked, ignoring the comment he had made about Paris.

"You always had knack figuring people out...but now that you mentioned it...no, it's about a deal that holds greater importance." He said with a nudge.

"Cut to the chase."

"You haven't by any chance heard of a chap named Aiden Mathis, have you? Last time I checked, he co-owned a company called Clarke Corporation, am I correct?"

"I don't know Conrad, why are you asking me?" Emily replied, with a serious poker face.

"Well, I must say, you _are_ quite good at covering your tracks Ms. Thorne."

"Get to the point."

"A little birdie told me that you settled down in Paris with Mr. Mathis and that you as well, partly own Clarke Corporation am I correct?"

"And...That's a problem because...?" she asked trying to be calm.

"Does the company Infinity ring a bell by any chance? Well, you might want to know that it's previous name was Grayson Global."

Emily's eyes lit up with fear. All this time, the big company that they were talking about was Grayson Global, owned by the people that were responsible for the death of her father...and they were planning on investing _with_ this company. How could she have let that get by her? Why did no one catch that connection? She looked at Conrad who had a victorious look on his face. She couldn't stay here any longer...she quickly got up and grabbed her purse.

"I suggest you stay, or you will regret it sooner or later." Conrad said, ever so calmly.

Emily quietly sat down; he wasn't someone to mess with. Conrad probably meant that, she didn't know what he had planned but whatever it was, wasn't good.

"What _exactly_ do you want from me?" Emily said, with anger seething in her voice.

"Well, soon enough our company is going to change its name back from Infinity to Grayson Global. And, I still expect you to be our top client and partner. Not only that, but I don't want any problems. I'm guessing my son told you about the deal with David Clarke...the _actual_ deal. I don't want our company to have any bad publicity, you know? Whatever happened was in the past, must we bring it up again? Oh, and I want you to openly promote our company..." he coyly questioned.

"I'd rather die."

"I might just take you up on that offer." He said, casually drinking his wine that had arrived.

"You wouldn't dare."

"You're right, I wouldn't. But you know what I would do? I would make your life a living hell, starting with getting rid of Aiden Mathis."

"Leave _him_ out of it. He has nothing to do with any of this."

"If you were wise, you would know that he has _everything_ to do with this. Oh, and make no mistake I am _very_ interested in buying that house of yours." he said with a smile.

"Go to hell." Emily said, as she stormed off without another word. Conrad on the other hand, smiled upon seeing his plan unravel perfectly.

Emily couldn't believe the nerve of Conrad...he had singlehandedly threatened her. She didn't know what to do...she was going to be forced to work with murderers, she would be forced to work with the people that had ruined her life, and there was nothing she could do about it. Conrad had implied that he would have Aiden killed if she didn't oblige, and even though Aiden could take care of himself, she feared his threat. This was all too much to handle. Working with the Graysons would be like betraying her father. She decided to visit her father's grave and think calmly there. Why did she even get involved with the Graysons? They were all the same...they could never change, and she was wrong to have believed so. She parked her car on the side of the road, and went to the graveyard. It was so gloomy there, not a single person was to be seen. Then she stopped when she saw her father's tombstone, and right beside it, Amanda's. She stood there for the longest time, and without realizing it, she began to weep. It wasn't just Conrad's threat that had upset her, it was everything combined. Nothing ever seemed to be right in her life, she was always cursed with misery. Why couldn't she live a normal life? Lost in her sadness, she looked up at the storm clouds that were gathering in the sky and soon enough, it had started to rain. The weather had gone from a beautiful sunny day, to a dreary thunderstorm. She laughed at the pathetic fallacy that went perfectly with her mood.

**Daniel. **

Daniel looked outside from his window at the sudden storm that had sneaked its way into the city. It was serious, there was a lot of wind, and the conditions were harsh, things were flying everywhere. It reminded him of the day of the explosion. Soon enough, the city streets were empty, everyone had safely taken cover. Daniel then, went over to Conrad's office to drop off some paperwork, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a purse sitting on the sofa. He had seen it before, and it looked familiar but Daniel just couldn't place where he had seen it. Maybe it was Ashley's he thought...but what would _her_ purse be doing in Conrad's office? Ashley had definitely betrayed him before and he found himself doubting her motives once again. Just then, a phone in the purse started to ring. He fumbled for the phone, and looked at the caller ID. It was Nolan...the phone had 6 missed calls from him already and so curiosity got the best of him and he answered.

"Where have you been? I've called you a million times already. The weather is pretty bad, everything okay?"

"Nolan, it's Daniel...who are you trying to reach?"

There was a long pause on the other line, followed by an exaggerated sigh, "Of course she's with you. Can I talk to her?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me..."

"I'm serious."

"Real mature. Give the phone to Emily, I need to talk to her."

"This is **_Emily's_** phone?" he asked shocked.

"Who else? Now if you'd let me talk to her...I don't have all day"

"No, I found a purse...I didn't know whose it was, until now. I haven't seen Emily around here."

"If you're messing with me, I swear to god Daniel-"

"I'll call you back." Daniel said, hanging up the phone mid-conversation.

Just then, Conrad walked into the room.

"Daniel, can I help you?"

"What are you doing with Emily's purse?"

"It's not nice to snoop, didn't you know that?" he asked, in a joking manner.

"Where is she?" he asked, in an angry tone.

"Calm down son. I went for lunch at the restaurant right across the street, and I ran into her...she forgot when she left, and so I thought I'd give it back to her, and so I took it with me. Any questions?" Conrad asked rhetorically.

Daniel looked at his father suspiciously...he had talked with Emily? Suddenly he felt as curious as ever to know what they had talked about, if he had been mentioned in their conversation at all. Just then, the phone started to ring again...it was Nolan.

"The weather outside is really bad...where did you find her purse?" Nolan asked on the phone.

"It was in the restaurant, near my office."

"Right, she had a meeting there with someone...but she should be home by now."

"She's probably stuck in traffic." Daniel said, trying to calm Nolan down, but he had a bad feeling about it.

"There _is_ no traffic. The roads are ghostly. Anyway, thanks for letting me know."

"Let's split. I'll look around here, and you look around where you are. I'll call you if I see her."

"No, you've done enough. She doesn't want to talk to you, so I suggest you stay away from her."

"Nolan, please. It's not about that. Wherever she is, she may need help."

**Emily.**

When Emily woke up, she looked at the time. It was 8 in the night, and there was no sign of the rain slowing down. The streetlights were all off, and she could barely see the road in front of her. Again, she tried to start the car, but it failed. It was getting really cold...and she had started to shiver. She didn't know what to do...today had started off as a completely normal day, but things had turned bad, really quickly. She didn't know how she would get out of this mess, and the only thing she could do was to wait. Just then, she saw a car pull up beside her. It was Daniel's. A wave of relief swept across her. She felt so happy seeing him. She quickly got in his car..and they both looked at each other and smiled.

"My car broke down..." she said to Daniel, hoping he would understand.

"I can see that, but in the middle of the graveyard? Really Ems?" he asked laughing.

She loved it when he said her name. It made her feel special, and her heart would start racing.

"Anyway, what were _you_ doing at the graveyard in this weather?"

"Looking for _you_. Nolan was worried sick about you because you hadn't shown up at home, and so we decided to split up and look for you."

"He actually asked you to help? That's a miracle."

"Well, I kind of forced him to let me help...but yeah."

Emily smiled...oddly enough. That was just like Daniel.

"So, what have you been up to?" Daniel asked Emily.

"Bad day...nothing much."

"No, I mean...when you were gone."

"Oh, that. I travelled for a bit here and there."

"That sounds like fun...apparently travelling is not in my cards." he said, looking at her with a saddened look.

"What about you?"

"I moved into the city...and nothing much has changed. Are you here to stay?"

"Uh, no actually. This was my "vacation" as sad as it sounds. I just wanted to wrap up a few things..."

"You did leave in a hurry."

"Could you blame me? You didn't even have the decency to tell me why you were breaking things off. It was like you didn't know me at all. When we broke it off before that, at least I told you exactly why."

"I couldn't, Ems. I wanted to. I regret everything about that night...trust me, if I could go back...I would."

"Alright...tell me Daniel, why? Why did you suddenly change your mind, and completely give up on me?"

"Emily, I didn't give up on you...after that night, I did everything to look for you...I realized that I had made a huge mistake, but no one would tell me where you were. I asked Nolan, I begged him, but he wouldn't tell me."

"What are you talking about, you knew exactly where I was...I wrote it in that letter."

"What letter?"

Suddenly, realization swept across Emily's face. She should have figured that the letter would never reach Daniel, knowing their history. She didn't know what came over her, to have brought up the past and she soon realized what she was doing...before things got worse, she decided to end the topic, keeping Aiden in mind.

"Never mind."

"Why are you being so difficult...what letter are you talking about? Because as long as I know, I did everything to look for you."

"Daniel, I don't want to talk about this."

"Why not? I sure as hell deserve to know what you've been up to for the past months, because I've been worried sick...and here you are...not telling me anything, and putting up a wall."

"You lost the right to know these things a long time ago Daniel."

"Of course." His voice had turned into a raspy whisper again.

"Look, I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said that." Emily said, after a long moment of silence.

"Me too." he replied.

Just then, Daniel's phone started to ring. He was driving, so he couldn't pick it up. Guessing that it must be Nolan, he asked Emily to pick it up for him.

"Hello?" Emily said to the person on the other line,

"Who are you? I need to talk to Daniel."

Emily noticed that it was Ashley's voice...what was she doing calling Daniel? Were they together? Had he moved on with her? So many questions were arising in her head.

"Hello...I'm waiting." said Ashley again, in a rude tone.

Emily didn't know what to say, so she handed the phone to Daniel, who had a puzzled look on his face.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Ashley."

He quickly grabbed the cell phone, and started talking to her.

**Daniel.**

"Who are you with Daniel?" Ashley asked,

He looked at Emily who was glancing at the window. It was a good question. What were they now? Were the acquaintances, friends, enemies, or strangers?

"I'm just giving someone a ride, that's all. The weather's pretty bad and so I figured that I'd help, alright."

"Whatever Daniel, I don't have time for this. Just come home." Ashley said, in an annoyed tone before she hung up.

He looked at Emily, and again she showed no emotion at all, he could tell that she was thinking hard about something. Most of the ride was quiet, both of them were lost in their own thoughts.

**Emily. **

Emily had just realized that she had left her purse and phone with Conrad...which meant that he could access all of her important contacts related to Clarke Corporation, and if he got a hold of them, he could possibly ruin her company. And, Emily wasn't about to let that happen...let alone the fact that he had threatened her and Aiden, she didn't need any more problems than she already had. He had also asked to buy the house, and quite frankly Emily feared that he would be the only one. Once possible buyers became aware of the history of the house, they would back out. There was no way that she was going to sell it to Conrad...but what other choice did she have? Who else could she possibly sell it too? She wanted someone that would take care of it, someone that would respect it, but a person like that, would be hard to come by. On top of all that, she had found out that Daniel, had possibly moved on with Ashley, and that shouldn't matter to her, but it did...it bothered her so much. She found it difficult to look into Daniel's eyes. Not only that, but she thought that Ashley was a friend, and even though she and Daniel had broken up, she felt like Ashley betrayed her. In some sense, she was like Victoria Grayson. She was a vindictive person, that always got what they wanted. Emily also wondered if Daniel was in on Conrad's plan, it didn't seem like it, but you could never tell with a Grayson, even if it was Daniel. He had changed, and she didn't know how much. But this was good, she wanted to move on, and knowing that he had, she would finally get the courage to as well, right? Her mind was a mess.

**Daniel. **

After Ashley's phone call, Daniel was facing a dilemma, should he tell Ashley about Emily? She was bound to find out anyway, and he'd rather it be from him than anybody else...but he didn't want to. He knew that the moment she finds out, she'll restrict him from seeing her, and even though there was nothing going on between him and Emily, seeing her made him happy. Even though they had just gotten in an argument, he felt satisfied knowing that they had at least tried to talk about their problems which is something that cannot be said, with him and Ashley. Before he knew it, he was already in front of Emily's house...it was in a way sad, because he didn't want to let Emily go. Every time he saw her go, he had a gut wrenching feeling that he would never see her again, and he was afraid that he would lose her again...

"We're here" he said, pulling into the driveway.

"Thanks for the ride Daniel. I would have probably been frozen if you hadn't found me." Emily said.

He smiled at how genuine she sounded, and how calm...he missed their little talks, and small foolish little conversations.

"Anytime...if you ever need anything, just let me know." he said, backing his car out of the driveway, after Emily got out.

"Actually...the roads are pretty bad...would you like to come in and wait until it clears up?" Emily asked hopefully.

Daniel looked at Emily...he knew that it would be a bad idea, staying in that house again with her, but he knew he had to. Maybe this was a chance...maybe he could make things okay again. Right now, she was the only person he cared about. He would deal with Ashley later.

"Sure." he replied with a smile.

* * *

**Author's Note Again **

**I hope you liked it. As always please review, it actually motivates me to write and upload faster.**

**And, I think many people are getting a bit disinterested in the story based on the lack of reviews for the last chapter (to the people that did review though, you guys are awesome, and thank you :D) but, if that is the case let me know, I will see what I can improve. **

**Oh, and a special thank you to the reviewer "anon" for pointing out a mistake I made in one of my chapters, thank you so much, I'll be sure to fix that. :)**

**Last but not least, we are back to weekly updates...unless I decide to be lazy.**

**Until Next Time.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note. **

**Hello, here is the new chapter, ENJOY! I hope you like it.**

* * *

**Victoria **

As Victoria sat alone at her dinner table, she looked out the massive bay window, hoping the weather would calm down, when she saw a car, pull over at David Clarke's house. She got up from the dinner table to get a further look, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the ever so famous Emily Thorne step out of the familiar car. Her stomach sank at the realization that she was back. Victoria was well aware that her son wasn't over Emily, and if he knew that she was back, things would not be good for him and Ashley. While she was lost in her thoughts, another person stepped out of the car. It was her own son...Emily and him had already somehow met? Millions of thoughts clouded her mind and she couldn't help but be scared for what was about to come. This _could not_ be happening, **again**. Things were finally getting on track with Daniel and Ashley, and Daniel was too gullible and innocent to fall into Emily's trap again. She quickly picked up the phone and dialed Ashley...

"Victoria, what do you want? It's late in the night..." she said, in a groggy voice.

"Where's Daniel?"

"He's on his way here, why? Did you need something?"

"Are you sure, because I just saw him here...at Emily Thorne's house."

"What? That's crazy...what's he doing there in this disastrous weather?"

"And, apparently, he has company too."

"Who's that exactly?" she replied, in an anxious voice.

"The one and only Emily Thorne."

There was a long pause on the phone,

"I swear to god Victoria, if you're joking with me, it's not funny in the slightest."

"Believe what you want...but he won't be coming home anytime soon, mark my words."

"That's it? That's all you're going to do? You're _just_ going to warn me?"

"If you think I'm going to let _her_ come in between you and Daniel, you're wrong my dear. I'll figure something out don't worry."

"And...my _due date_ is getting closer...how am I going to **fake** going into labour?"

"Like I said, leave it to me."

"Right, fine...and you're sure it was Emily?"

"One hundred percent...I don't know what she's planning to do, but I intend to find out, and put a stop to it."

"Okay, just...don't do anything to hurt her even more...she is my friend after all."

"I think you two stopped being friends a long time ago...anyway, good night. I'll talk to you later, once I figure out what to do."

"Good night, Victoria." She replied, absentmindedly...

**Emily**

Emily didn't know why she had invited Daniel; it was so impulsive of her. She didn't think of the repercussions to it, but it felt like the old times. It was like she was inviting him to the house for the first time, when they were still dating...things now however were different.

"This place brings back so many memories," Daniel said, as he walked towards it.

"Yeah, good and bad." she replied, from the porch.

"Mostly good though, right?" he asked jokingly.

"Not sure about that..." she said with a wink.

"The storm doesn't look like it's going to clear up anytime soon." Daniel said, looking at the dark and chaotic horizon.

"Yeah, don't think so. Anyway, have a seat...I have to make a few phone calls and such."

"Same old Emily Thorne." Daniel said, with a laugh.

"What's that suppose to mean? I'm deeply offended." she said, pretending to scowl.

"Did you think I never noticed you running about, keeping god knows what from me?"

"I'm just, very _busy_." she said with a wink.

"Of course you are. I don't want to keep you from your double life." he said, with a sneaky grin.

"You have no idea."

As Daniel sat comfortably on the sofa, she went in the other room, and proceeded to call Nolan. He must be worried sick, she thought.

"Nolan, hey."

"Ems, where the hell are you? I scoured the city looking for you."

"I'm fine, sorry for the scare. I went to the graveyard, and my car broke down. Even worse, I left my purse at the restaurant."

"You were with _Daniel_ at the restaurant? I can't believe his guts. He flatly lied to me..."

"No, that's not it...I was with Conrad at the restaurant."

"What were you doing with him? Am I missing something?"

"Long story short...he knows about our company,_ and _he threatened me."

"How did he even know you were back?"

"He was interested in buying this house..."

"I'm sure there are many other, less deceitful buyers Ems, forget him. And, I'm coming over. I need to know everything he said."

"Yeah, I hope so. And could you maybe drop by later? The weather's bad and now's not the best time, Daniel's here."

"What? Now I _have _to come over. I don't trust him one bit..."

"No, he was the one that found me, and gave me a ride, plus all the roads are closed so I couldn't be mean, I had to invite him over, but just until the storm clears up."

"But, if he wasn't with you at the restaurant, then why did he have your purse?"

"He doesn't have my purse. What are you talking about?"

"Listen to me, I was calling your phone because I was worried, and Danny boy picked up. He said that he had found the purse at a restaurant, and you said you left it there...that's why I assumed that you met Daniel there."

"That means that after I left, he came there...-"

"My guess is that Daniel is in on the plan...why else would be just instantaneously pop by the moment you leave? Possibly to discuss how things went with Conrad, no?"

Nolan was right, it all fit perfectly...but why did she still not believe it? She could usually tell when Daniel was hiding things from her...and he seemed genuine, but he was a Grayson after all, and Nolan had a biased opinion...he completely hated Daniel.

"I'll call you back." She said, hanging up the phone.

Emily stared at the phone, wondering what to believe...just then, she had an idea. She called her cell phone from the home phone to see if Nolan was right, and sure enough two seconds later she heard the ringtone. She went out in the hall, only to see Daniel who had her cell phone in his hand, looking as guilty as ever.

"What are you doing with my phone Daniel?" Emily said in an ever so serious tone.

"I can explain." Daniel said trying to put together his sentences.

"Please do." Emily prompted trying to sound calm, but a faint anger was obvious in her tone and voice.

"I was dropping off some papers for Conrad to sign in his office, and I saw a purse, of course I didn't know whose it was, but when I saw that it had many missed calls from Nolan, and I picked up...then I realized that it belonged to you. I promise, I didn't stalk you or anything."

"Can I trust you?" Emily asked a little suspicious.

"I think _you_ know the answer to that Ems." Daniel replied

It made sense, but was Daniel in on Conrad's plan, with the Clarke Corporation? Was he just pretending? She wanted to believe him, but after their break up she had learned to question everyone's intentions.

"But, can I ask you a question?" Daniel said, as he turned off the television, and faced Emily.

"What do you want to know?" she replied walking towards the couch and sitting beside Daniel.

"What were you doing with my dad, earlier at the restaurant?"

"Catching up..." Emily said, making sure not to make eye contact with Daniel.

"C'mon, the _real_ reason please? My dad doesn't ever just catch up without another motive, you know that." Daniel said, with a concerned look on his face.

Emily wanted to tell him everything but she wasn't sure if he was in on the deal with Conrad possibly taking over the company, and she had a feeling that if she did tell Daniel, things would be worse off, for him.

"I actually booked a meeting with him. He's interested in buying this house." Emily said, playing with her hands, and still avoiding gazing at Daniel. She didn't know why, but she thought that Daniel would be disappointed with her about her decision to sell the house.

Daniel was at a loss of words for quite some time, so after a long mutual pregnant pause he looked at her with a hurt look...

"No, but that would mean that you're selling it..." he said in disbelief. His voice was rough and hoarse which usually happened when he got emotional.

"That's the point..." Emily said, finally meeting his gaze, looking apologetic.

Even though not much was said for a good five minutes, many things were heard. The amount of emotion in the room was bouncing off the walls.

"But...you came back...you can't sell this...this house has _so_ many memories..." he said, sounding like a child who didn't understand what was going on.

"I came back to wrap things up and move on Daniel, not to relive the past. And, like I said before, this place holds more bad memories than good ones."

"Ems, I'm begging you don't sell this place...certainly not to my dad. He's not going to do it any justice..." he said, subconsciously reaching out for her hand and holding it.

"Daniel, I have to. I don't want a reason to come back here."

Emily didn't know why she was pouring her heart out to her ex fiancé, but she didn't care...right now, talking to him, being in the same room as him, and holding his hand felt _right_ and nothing else mattered. When they talked, she didn't have to agree with him, and that would be just fine. When her and Aiden talked, she would have to carefully choose her words, and her having a different opinion on something would often lead to major fights, where she was always the one that had to back down.

"Am **_I _**a reason? I mean, _was_ I?" he asked, correcting himself.

"Daniel, once upon a time you were the _only_ reason I needed to stay..." she said in a soft almost fragile tone.

"It could still be like that...we could still go back to those days...I've missed you Ems, not a day went by when I didn't think about you."

"A relationship means trust, and honestly, I'm not sure I trust you again...I mean, what's stopping you from leaving me again?"

Again, there was the infamous moment of silence. Emily was looking at Daniel with hopeful dove like eyes, and Daniel was trying to figure out his train of thought. After a while, Emily's look turned into stone, and it was like all of her emotions were gone...she had put up a wall again.

Daniel suddenly thought about Ashley, in these brief conversations with Emily, he had completely forgotten about her. He still had to tell her that Emily was back...even though he didn't want to. Emily was someone that he couldn't have...she was dream, but he had to face the facts, Ashley was _pregnant_. There was no way he could ditch their baby.

"You're right..." he said, looking down at the floor.

Expecting that monotone answer, she went to the kitchen and started making some coffee, when her home phone rang...before she could get it, Daniel had already picked up.

"It's for you." he said, handing her the receiver

"Hello?" she said into the phone.

Once she realized who it was, she went out on the porch, which served as a shelter from the pouring rain, and it also gave her some privacy from Daniel.

"Amanda, what is Daniel doing at your place? I thought you were there to move on." Aiden said angrily.

"I am here to move on, don't worry. He's just here for some coffee." she replied.

"I thought it was clear, I wanted you to stay away from him."

"Calm down, no need to get all flustered up."

"You're right. I just can't bear the thought of you with him...I've had enough of Daniel."

"Anyway, have you heard anything from Infinity?" she said, ignoring the comment about Daniel.

"Uh, yeah now that you mention it, they have been pretty eager to do business. I have a meeting with them tomorrow."

"Can you postpone it by any chance? Wait until I come back maybe?"

"Why? You aren't back until next week."

"I know, but it's a huge step in terms of the company, I want to do it together." She replied, clearly lying to him. Aiden was always someone she could be brutally honest with, and here she was breaking his trust...and she hated it, but she was protecting him. Emily wouldn't be able to live it down if something happened to him.

"Really? I'm a bit surprised. Since when did you become so keen on doing things together?" he said, shocked.

"Well, I _am _here to move on." She replied half heartedly.

"Alright then, I'll see what I can do."

"I love you, Amanda Clarke." He said, hanging up the phone.

As she sat on the porch, she looked out to the sky, it had cleared up by now, and there was only a slight wave of rainfall. But, she could still hear many sirens wailing, and the chaos of the storm seemed more than evident. Many branches had fallen from trees, and a lot of debris had washed up on the shoreline of the beach. She decided to go back in the house, and to her surprise, Daniel was looking at her intensely as soon as she looked back, he quickly averted his gaze and focused on the TV.

"Is everything okay?" he asked casually.

"Yeah, everything's fine." She said smiling.

"Any chance you'd tell me who that was?" he asked.

"Not one bit." She said grinning mischievously.

"Uh, I should get going now that the weather has cleared up." He said, getting up and grabbing his blazer.

"Alright, thanks for the ride." She said, just as he was leaving.

Rather randomly and unexpectedly however, Daniel kissed Emily on the cheek. She hadn't expected the sudden show of emotions, but he skin started tingling on her right cheek afterwards. It was like someone had just given her a rush of adrenaline. Even though it was a small gesture, she felt so overwhelmed...she looked at Daniel and before she could say anything, he had already left.

** Nolan.**

Nolan hated Daniel. He always seemed to cause problems in Emily's life. She had given up her plans on getting Revenge, all for him and he broke up with her. On top of that, he had cheated with Ashley behind her back, but Emily was unaware of all of that. Maybe it was time she knew.

He knocked on Emily's front door, and to his surprise it was open. As he walked in, he saw Emily sitting on the couch completely zoned out Nolan's arrival.

"Ems, I need to tell you something."

"Wow, you scared me..." she said, zoning back in, to her surroundings.

"It's about Daniel..."

"What about Daniel?"

"Look, I haven't been completely honest with you, since you came back..."

"I figured that, what is it then?"

"Well, the day you left, before you and Daniel broke up, I was on my way to...well, I don't remember but that's not the point. As I was going, I saw him at the cafe right by Grayson Global, and he was with Ashley, and they seemed to be talking about something very serious, and not too long after their chat, did I learn that you two had ended things..."

"You mean he was _cheating_ on me?"

Emily couldn't help it, but she started to break down in front of Nolan. She cried like no tomorrow, and all Nolan could do was hug her. He hated seeing Emily like this...before she was much more independent, things like this didn't easily get to her but as much as he hated to admit it, she changed...but it wasn't her fault. There had never really been a happy moment in her life. Just misery...one thing after the other, and he knew that telling her what he just did was cruel but she had to know. Daniel was becoming too much of a problem, and Nolan couldn't handle it by himself. Plus, he hated keeping things from her.

"Emily, pull yourself together, you're wasting your time crying over someone that shouldn't matter."

"Why didn't you tell me this before? I thought I could trust you..."

"I know, I wanted to...but I couldn't. But, I'm telling you now." He said, consoling Emily to the best of his abilities. Nolan wanted to tell her about Ashley's pregnancy, but seeing his best friend in tears, he couldn't do it...not right now, it wasn't the right time...he would soon enough.

**Daniel.**

Daniel didn't know what had just happened. When he had kissed Emily, it felt so magical even if it was just on the cheek. Emily was so amazing in every possible way, she was perfect. Even when they argued, all he wanted to do was to run in her arms. He was mesmerized by her. He thought that by not seeing her for such a long time, the feelings would soon fade but instead they had multiplied. Daniel wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Then there was the deal with the guy on the phone, who was probably her boyfriend...but it didn't matter. He would find a way across it. He would do anything to be with her again. Just being in her house, and being around her, he felt content. As he parked the car in the driveway, he saw Ashley through the window, and she didn't look too pleased.

"I'm home." he said, opening the door and throwing the house keys on the table.

"Daniel, what the hell is going on?" Ashley said, almost screaming...

"What are you talking about?"

"You're kidding me right? You didn't even have the decency to tell me that Emily Thorne was back, and now as if that isn't bad enough, you're sneaking around with her?" Ashley said, in a weak almost defeated tone.

"Who told you? And, I didn't think it mattered that much...and I wasn't sneaking around with anyone...promise. It's a long story, I was just giving her a lift." he said, trying to make up his _own_ mind, about what had happened.

"It doesn't matter who told me...and stop lying, you've been with her the entire day haven't you?"

"Fine, you want me to be honest? Yes, I was with her the entire day, and yes, I was hoping you wouldn't find out...because I didn't want _this_."

"_This_ was bound to happen one day or another. Honestly, how long did you think it would be before I didn't find out?"

"I have tried Ash...I have tried so hard to forget her, but I have to tell you the truth...I can't...she's always going to be a part of me...and I am not sorry for spending the day with her, not one bit...because being with her made me feel the most alive I have in months. She brings out _something_ in me...I don't know what it is, but without her, I feel miserable." Daniel randomly blurted.

"What are we then? All these months, you had me believing that you were over her...was that all just a lie?" she said, tearing up.

"No, I care about you...I really do. That's why I want us to have a chance to be a family. I don't want to abandon this baby. I gave her up, because of you Ash, what more do you want me to say?" He said, sitting beside her and consoling her.

"I need to know if you're in this for the long run..."

"I am, I just-"

**Ashley.**

Ashley knew exactly what she had to do...she couldn't rely on Victoria's empty promises forever. Daniel was slipping from her grip, and she didn't like it one bit...he had just admitted to her that Emily would always be a part of his life. Something had to be done; before Daniel continued any further she looked up at him and uttered two life changing words.

"Marry me."

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**Author's Note Again. :D**

**Thank you so much for the reviews, and support on this story. There is a lot more I have planned, so stick around and as always, PLEASE review. It makes me oh so happy, and oh so efficient with chapter uploads. ;) And, this one is more of a "filler" the next one, is pretty interesting in my opinion so be sure to check back soon. Again, thanks so much for the reviews. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note. **

**Here is Chapter 13, enjoy as always! **

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**Emily.**

Emily woke up the next morning, realizing that she had just slept on the sofa the entire night. Beside her, on the floor was Nolan, who was still sound asleep. Yesterday was such a horrible day. So much had happened, and just when things seemed to get a little better, she was mistaken. Nolan had just told her that Daniel had cheated on her when they were together...of course she was devastated, but part of her frustration was from Nolan who had hidden it from her. If only she knew, maybe getting over Daniel would have been easy, maybe she would have moved on my now. She couldn't believe the nerve of him...she was ready to give everything up for him, and he wasn't even faithful to her. Emily felt more betrayed than ever...and to think that they possibly had a chance. Daniel had even said to her that he wanted to back to those days, the days when they were together, but how could he do that to her? Aiden was right; coming to The Hamptons was a bad idea, nothing good had come out of it...and nothing good ever seemed to. Just then, she heard a knock on the door. When she looked at the screen door to see who it was, she saw someone no other than Victoria Grayson.

"Victoria, what a surprise to see you here." Emily said, smiling through her teeth.

"I can say the same Ms. Thorne." Victoria replied as coldly as ever.

"What can I do for you?"

Victoria looked around Emily's house, and saw Nolan, who was asleep on the floor, and seemed to snoring quite noticeably. She looked back at Emily,

"I was wondering if we could talk outside..."

"Sure..." Emily said, stepping out into the porch.

"I wasn't aware you were back...why the sudden change of heart? Surely, there really isn't much for you, now that you are no longer dating my son."

"So, _that's_ what this is about?"

"Look, I want you to stay away from him...I saw him here yesterday and don't be mistaken; he's not interested in you. You _were_ a person from the past, that's all. He couldn't be happier with Ashley."

"Trust me Victoria, the weather was bad, he gave me ride, I was simply being courteous inviting him in my home, something I'm sure you _should_ be familiar with, yet aren't." she replied...

"You can have your fun, but if I see you anywhere near Daniel, I assure you, _I _will be the one with the last laugh. Are we clear?"

"Thank you, but the visit really wasn't necessary, you could have just called." Emily replied, shutting the door on Victoria, in a quite rude manner.

She looked at Nolan, who seemed to be eavesdropping on the conversation...

"Well, I don't know about you, but seeing her, my day is ruined already." Nolan said, still half mumbling in his sleep.

"The Graysons _really _seem to hate me..." Emily said, as she sat down on the sofa, beside Nolan.

"Look, Ems...I am really sorry about yesterday, I should have told you sooner."

"It's okay, I wish you had...but I can't blame you. You were looking out for me. But, in the future if something like this comes up, tell me okay?"

"Of course, yeah...I will..." Nolan said a bit unsure.

"Anyway, what are we going to do about Conrad?"

"I'm not sure. He knows about you and Aiden, and he knows that you own a company called _Clarke_ Corporation. Wouldn't that ring a bell maybe? I mean, do you think he figured out that it was named after David Clarke? And if so, he might be curious to find out more about why you named it that, which might lead to your background check."

"That's true, but he knows that Amanda was my best friend, maybe he figured I named it after her."

"Yeah, but it would seem a bit odd, how you two were _that_ close. I mean, Jack used to wonder that all the time and it does seem suspicious."

"Right, but right now Aiden's life is in danger, not mine..."

"First, Ems...do you like Aiden _that _much?"

"Nolan, what kind of a question is that? Of course I do..."

"I mean more than you like Daniel...?"

Emily paused for a moment...Daniel and her were never meant to be...he would only ever know one side of her...not both, like Aiden...

"Yeah, I do Nolan."

"Then, why haven't you taken things further? You two wanted to be together since both of you were training with Takeda, and now you two are taking it slow?"

"Where is this coming from? Did he tell you this?"

"He didn't tell me anything, but it's a fair question..."

"Things aren't the same anymore, we aren't the same people...and we both need time to readjust to each other, I guess."

"Alright, that's all I needed to know." Nolan said, with a smile.

"Back to Conrad, what are we going to do about him?"

"Do you suspect Daniel knows?"

"It's hard to tell, until last night I didn't think he did, but after what you told me, it's safe to say that he's good at hiding things." Emily said with a sigh.

"Okay, another question...do you think he still has feelings for you?"

"Can't be sure...he's with Ashley now, so I don't think he does. Why?"

"This may sound like déjà vu, but I was thinking we could manipulate him again. Let's say he _does_ have feelings for you, which I'm pretty sure he does...then you can go to him with your sob story about how Conrad threatened you, and he'll fix it."

"No way, I am not going to him for help...that plan isn't going to work."

"Alright, I'll think of something. But, are you going to tell Aiden about Infinity?"

"Conrad threatened to _kill_ Aiden, so it's safe to say that I won't...but he's smart, it's not long to figure out the connection, I tried to stall him with making any deals with Infinity, until I come back...but I'm not too sure he's buying it."

"So, basically we are getting nowhere with anything?"

"Yeah...and now on top of that, I have to sell this house to the man that had my father killed."

"You _can_ back out of it you know..."

"I don't want to risk it, Conrad is unpredictable and if he suspects something's up, he will do anything and everything to find out what it is."

"Ems, I have an idea...it might not be the best one but it's something."

"What?"

"Sell Clarke Corporation to him. I mean, if he's after it, then why you can't just give it to him. That way, he will leave you and Aiden alone, and you two can start up another company...one that Conrad will be oblivious to. Like I said, not grade A material, but it'll put you and Aiden out of harm's way."

There was a long heavy pause...

"You know what? That's the best thing we got right now. I think it'll have to do. I'll book a meeting with him this afternoon. Thanks Nolan."

"No problem. Good Luck, I'll be here if you need me."

**Victoria**

Victoria was flustered by Emily Thorne. She was rude and disrespectful to her in every single way. Ever since the beginning, she never got a good vibe from Emily. There was something off about her, something that she couldn't quite pick out, but it was there nonetheless. She didn't know what she could do about her. Finally when she had thought that Emily was gone for good, she reappeared again and seemed to mess everything up. Suddenly, she had an idea. Of course, it wasn't rational, but it would get rid of her _permanently_. To get to a high place like Victoria did, one has to pick up a few things, and sometimes those things are morally and ethically wrong in every single way, yet sometimes there is no choice. Victoria was protecting her son...whatever the price. She went in her dresser, and opened her jewelry box...

**Daniel. **

Ashley had just asked Daniel to marry her last night...she must be crazy. Daniel had _just_ admitted to her that he would never be able to forget Emily Thorne, and instead of the usual reaction to get mad, she confessed her love for him? It didn't make any sense. Something was wrong. They had never really talked about officially getting married, but here they were. Daniel was speechless. He didn't know what to say...he just stood there hoping that he had heard wrong, but looking at Ashley, he knew this was no joke. She really meant it.

Daniel had asked her for some time, to figure things out...and to figure out what they wanted...rather, what _he _wanted. But, Ashley didn't seem to understand. It felt like they were rushing into things and Daniel wasn't ready.

"Have you decided Daniel?" Ashley asked, still half asleep.

This was major...it was a lifetime commitment, and Daniel wasn't sure he could go along with it. In reality, he barely knew Ashley...they had briefly dated for a while, and then he got back together with Emily. Needless to say, the only reason that they broke it off was because Ashley was pregnant...other than that, the only person Daniel ever wanted to be with was Emily Thorne. If it was _her_ that had asked him to marry him, he would have said yes a million times over and without a thought...but Ashley he didn't know. There was always a part of him that hoped that somehow, he would be able to go back to Emily once things settled down with Ashley, but here he was stuck in this position.

"I need some time..." he said, getting up, and preparing to go to work.

"Alright, I get that but...what I said, wasn't just impulsive. We _are _going to have a kid together, and people will start talking...about you, about we...and it might affect the company, plus what are we exactly waiting for? I really did think about this."

"Wait...did my dad put you up to this? Since when did you start caring about Grayson Global and it's reputation? Look, who is behind this Ash? You have to tell me..."

"No one, I swear. I was just thinking rationally."

Without a reply back, Daniel continued on doing his things. He did not believe her. This all seemed to quick and odd. It seemed to pop out of nowhere. Someone had put Ashley up to this, and most likely it was Conrad. He was planning to run for governor, and it made sense if he wanted a "picture perfect" family...he would talk with him as soon as he reached the office.

**Conrad**

"Mr. Grayson, you have a walk in..." she said, pointing to Emily Thorne.

"Why Emily, so good to see you again. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Cut the act." Emily said disgusted at Conrad's fake behaviour.

"I take it you've accepted my terms then?" he asked coyly, closing the doors to his office, and inviting her in.

"Look, I am willing to _sell_ my company to you, just leave me alone."

"Smart, aren't you? But I'm afraid I can't accept that...Conrad Grayson doesn't have the best reputation and even if I manage to buy your company, promoting Grayson Global from Clarke Corporation won't have any meaning...after all, everyone already knows me as the big bad wolf. But if _you_ were to promote it, that would be another story altogether. "

"Wouldn't it be odd if you son's _ex_ fiancée promotes your company? Have some common sense. It has propaganda written all over it. No one is actually going to buy into it."

"There are a lot of fools out there Miss Thorne, they'll buy anything."

"And, another thing...it's called Clarke Corporation Conrad, do you really think that's not going to raise suspicion? I mean, people might think you're running a company named that, because of...I don't know...a guilty conscious perhaps?"

"I appreciate you _trying _to get me to back out of this, but it is not going to happen. In fact, I was just preparing the paperwork for it...would you like to stay?"

"Fine...I'll promote your company towards the international markets, but on _one _condition."

"And, what's that?"

"Leave Aiden out of this...he couldn't care less about any of this...he's innocent."

"I hope you are aware that he was the one that bankrupted Grayson Global, so _innocent_ is the last thing I'd call it."

"Doesn't matter, you don't include him in any of your future threats. Do we have a deal or not?"

"Why are you so bent on protecting him? Must be serious..." Conrad commented...

"Do we have a deal or not?"

"Yes, I can agree on that." Conrad said, reaching to shake Emily's hands, to which she ignored and walked out.

**Daniel.**

The first thing Daniel had to do today, was talk to Conrad...he would be relieved in a way if his dad _had_ set this up, that way he would have an excuse to say no. Upon getting there, he saw that Conrad was talking to someone, soon after, as he waiting for their meeting to end, her realized that Conrad was talking to none other than Emily Thorne. He began to wonder what was _actually_ going on. Why were the both of them always having so many meetings and such? Something seemed wrong...there was more to the story that her selling her house and Daniel became concerned. As he saw Emily, he couldn't help noticing how beautiful she looked...but her expression was far from happy, it was like she was worried, almost disturbed.

"Is everything okay?" Daniel asked her, as she was approaching towards him.

She seemed to be zoned out, but as she saw him, she smiled.

"Good Morning, Daniel." Emily said, still a bit distracted.

"Is everything okay?"

"Sure...why wouldn't it be? Anyways, it was good seeing you...I have to run. Got a busy day ahead."

"Okay, but if you need to talk...I'm a phone call away." Daniel said, worrying about her. She seemed lost...

"Thanks for the offer...but I think I'll pass." She said, a little rudely, before walking out on Daniel, leaving him a bit dazed. What was Conrad up to?

**Emily. **

As Emily returned home, she saw Nolan had left a note on the table. It simply said, "Have some work to do, will be back later." In messy handwriting. She thought to call Aiden and see how he was doing but to her surprise, no one picked up. This was odd because Aiden's cell phone was _always _on. She tried not to worry, but with Conrad's recent threats, she grew more concerned. Where could he be?

**Nolan. **

Nolan had figured that he hadn't visited Jack in quite a long time, he had been busy with Emily's visit and he had completely forgotten about The Stowaway. While enjoying his many drinks of the night, Nolan looked at the clock, and it was late in the night. Today had gone by so fast. As he got near Emily's house, the first thing he noticed from far away was that the lights were off. That was odd, Emily _always_ leaves at least one light on, even if she's leaving the house...he cautiously parked in the driveway and as he got closer, under his boot he noticed shards of glass. Upon a more detailed look, he came to the realization that the windows were all shattered. Almost instantly, he ran inside the house, but was faced with sudden darkness. He soon stopped when he realized something...rather someone was on the floor...and as he squinted to see who it was, he found Emily lying on the floor, surrounded by blood and shards of glass.

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**Author's Note Again. **

**Okay so honestly, this chapter was a little hard for me to write. So, I found out that...**

**(WARNING: SEASON THREE SPOILERS.) **

**Don't read ahead if you guys don't want any spoilers, but basically I found out that Daniel and Emily won't be the main couple in season three. Now, I am deeply offended..in my opinion they have the best on screen chemistry, I mean, they are kind of perfect for each other no? But, the main people in terms of relationships, that they are going to be focusing on is Jack and Aiden. Ugh, and on top of that, Daniel's past "flame" is going to come and create complications from what I've read and I am just so mad. I guess that's why I wasn't so motivated to write...but just thought I'd rant with my fellow Revengers. It just seems so unfair, usually I couldn't care less about these things but it really bugs me. Hopefully I'll find the power in me to keep calm, and carry on in terms of the story, but I really am not looking forward to season three based on the things I've heard so far. Any opinions?**

**Anyway, thank you guys for the support on this story. I really appreciate it. :) **

**Please follow/favorite/review. It makes my day. :) **


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note**

**Here is the long awaited Chapter 14. :) Enjoy! **

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**Nolan.**

As Nolan paced around the waiting room, all he could think about was Emily. He hoped more than anything that she was okay, but nevertheless, he couldn't help imagining the worst. He felt like whatever had happened, was partly his fault. It was _his_ job to protect her, and to make sure that she was okay. How could be so careless? He glanced at the room Emily was in...through the glass windows, he could see doctors and nurses crowded around the room. They had been in there for about four hours, and Nolan was getting restless. He had to see if she was okay. If anything had happened to her, he wouldn't be able to bear it, and on top of that, he had made a promise to her father to take care of her.

"You must be Nolan Ross." A figure said, approaching him.

Nolan, who was lost in his thoughts, looked up, and a relief swept over him.

"How is she doctor?" he asked.

"Well, you shouldn't worry too much. There are a lot of minor injuries, she has cuts, and bruises everywhere due to the shards of glass that were actually _embedded_ in her skin. Also, she experienced a lot of blood loss, because of a head injury. We bandaged her forehead, so retain the blood, but we recommend that she stays here for a few days. We're running many tests, and we are still waiting for results. "

"This head injury...is it serious?"

"We don't think so, but nothing can be confirmed yet...we'll have to wait and see."

"Can I go in and see her?" Nolan said, after a long pause.

"Of course...but I have to ask, are you sure you're telling me _everything_ that happened? This is serious."

"Yes, like I said...she fell down the stairs, and hit a glass window." Nolan said nonchalantly.

"If you say so," the doctor said, as he walked away.

A part of him knew that lying to the doctor wasn't a wise move, but he knew that Emily wanted to keep a low profile on her visit to the Hamptons. If he had told the doctor what really happened, it would just catch unwanted attention.

As Nolan carefully walked into the room, he saw the terrible state of his best friend.

"Hey Ems." Nolan whispered.

"Nolan, you look awful..." she said smiling, trying to lighten up the tense atmosphere.

"You're one to talk." Nolan replied sarcastically.

"What time is it anyway?"

"It's around four in the morning. But, Ems...what happened? I mean, _who_ happened?"

"Honestly, I don't know. After my meeting with Conrad, I came straight home. Then I thought I'd do some long overdue work that I had received regarding the Clarke Corporation, exhausted, I went in the kitchen to get some water. Just as I was leaving, all the lights went out, and it was dark outside too so I couldn't see much. At first I thought it was just a power outage, but not long after that, I heard a gunshot. Almost instantly, the window's all shattered...I hid tried to hide under the kitchen counters for protection, but it was all a blur to me. The next thing I know, I'm here..." she slowly explained.

"I know it's not the best time, but do you have any idea as to who it was?"

"No...but they have one hell of an aim. If I had to guess though, I'd say it was Conrad." She replied cringing.

"Possibly...how did you're meeting with him go anyway?"

"I told him that I'd promote Grayson Global..._if _he left Aiden out of this mess."

"What happened to selling the company to him?" Nolan asked.

"He said that it wouldn't do him any good because of his reputation."

"I was hoping he wouldn't notice that."

"Nolan, what am I doing? I feel like everything is falling apart on me. This was supposed to be my chance of walking away, I never should have come back." She said, with a tear in her eye.

"Emily, this was going to happen regardless of whether you visited the Hamptons, he knew what you were up to in Paris."

"Why is it, that I can never find any peace? I gave up getting revenge on them; because hating the Grayson's was consuming me...it was turning me into the person that my dad never wanted me to become. But there's still a part of me that feels empty, something keeps on calling me back here Nolan."

"I know this may not be what you want to hear, but maybe you can't let go of this place because of a certain someone...not because you still yearn revenge."

"I'm already with-"

"-Aiden, I know. But maybe if you could just forget that for a second, it wouldn't cloud your judgement."

"I thought you hated him with a passion."

Nolan did hate Daniel. There was nothing honorable about him, he had cheated on Emily with Ashley. But right now, Nolan had to think strategically. In order to save Aiden, Emily was risking her own life and Nolan could not let that happen. He had promised Emily's father that he would protect her, and the he had to start being serious about it. If she was with Daniel, Conrad wouldn't have anyone to threaten. He wouldn't harm his _own _son, and even so, his threats would be harmless. Also, Emily would be protected since Conrad knew that if anything happened to her, Daniel would no longer be on his side. That way, all of these problems could be avoided, and no harm would come to Emily.

"Emily, there's something else that I have to tell you, about Daniel."

"What is it?" Emily asked seriously.

"He didn't _cheat_ on you...I mean, not completely."

"Nolan, what the hell are you talking about?"

"When you two were broken up for a while, you know how he and Ashley dated for a while right?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, the reason he broke up with you was because he didn't want to hurt you."

"You aren't making any sense."

"Ashley told Daniel that she was pregnant, and she forced him end things with you."

There was a long pause. Emily felt like she had been stabbed a million times in the heart, and she couldn't believe what Nolan had said. Daniel had chosen Ashley over her...and now she knew why. Without realizing, she had noticed hot tears running down her eyes. All this time, as much as she had claimed to hate Daniel, a part of her still had hoped that they could go back to the way things were. But _this_...this shattered the small light of hope that she had.

"But...Ems, that's not it. She lied, she's not _really_ pregnant."

"Nolan, a person doesn't just lie about that kind of stuff." Emily said, in the middle of tears.

"Ashley did. Trust me, this was part of her plan to get back together with Daniel. She knew that it would break you two apart, which is exactly what happened."

Emily looked at Nolan, trying to figure out what to believe, was it really true? Had she emotionally blackmailed Daniel into breaking up with her?

"How could you possibly know all of this?"

"Because...after you left, ever since I saw those two at the cafe, I became suspicious. Something major must have happened for you and Daniel to break up in the matter of seconds. So a few months after you had left the Hamptons, I did some research. It wasn't too long after, that I found out that her pregnancy was a ruse. I mean, fake appointments and checkups with the doctor, fake proofs of ultrasound, fake baby bump...she was just paying someone to provide her that stuff."

"And you _kept_ all of this from me?" Emily asked, feeling betrayed.

"It was in your best interest..." Nolan said, feeling guilty.

He knew that telling her his would make her hate him, but Nolan had to protect Emily. And the only way he could do that was to give her incentive to get back together with Daniel.

"Just leave." Emily said coldly.

**Emily **

Emily couldn't believe Nolan. He had broken her trust, and he had lied to her. All this time, she had thought that the breakup was her fault. She had held on to that guilt for so long that it had almost destroyed her. She had suffered sleepless days and night because of it. How could he do that to her? On top of that, in all of this, Nolan was supposed to be the one person that she could confide in. All of a sudden, she became weary of him. Who knew what else he was keeping secret from her? And suddenly, she felt alone again. She really couldn't trust anyone but herself, and from now on, she promised that she wouldn't. She was in this mess alone, and somewhere along the line, she had been fooled into the misconception that having company was good.

**Ashley**

"Victoria...I have been trusting you for too long, are you going to tell me what we're going to do about the baby or not?" Ashley asked, frustrated.

"Daniel has an international business trip coming up soon, and when he leaves, you will pretend to go into labour...of course, as much as he would want to be there with you, he wouldn't be able to...if he's halfway around the world..."

"Wow, that's quite...impressive? But, what are we going to do after?"

"From there, once you come back, you'll be in tears...claiming that it was a miscarriage..."

"You're joking right? That's low...even for you. _That_ was your genius plan all along?"

"You were the one that wanted to get back together with my son. Did you honestly think it would be that easy?" Victoria prompted,

"But, wouldn't he just leave me then?" Ashley said sneering.

"You underestimate my son, when you're in such a state of distress and confusion, leaving you alone will be the last thing on his mind. Plus, you were there when he was a mess...he knows that he has to return the favor somehow. That way, you two can bond with your equal stories of pain and suffering..."

"What about Emily? Isn't she going to come running to Daniel when she finds out?"

"She won't be much of a problem." Victoria said coyly.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just have a _feeling._"

Ashley didn't know what to do. I mean, this was what she had wanted all along, but she hadn't realized how far she had gone regarding Daniel. It seemed that her entire life was a cruel joke. She knew that Daniel didn't even remotely return the feelings that she had for him, so what was she going to do now? She truly wanted something with Daniel, but she knew that this was emotionally forcing him to do so, she was cornering him so he had no choice. _This_ wasn't her...

**Daniel. **

Daniel was confused. He didn't know what to make of the situation he was in. He thought that the obvious answer would be to say no to Ashley's proposal, but the more he thought about it, the more he wondered whether it was a good idea or not. Then, like usual, his thoughts wandered off to Emily. What was with her? She had behaved so coldly towards him at the office. It hurt him more that he would admit. It broke his heart. All he wanted to do was to see her smile again, but ever since she had left the Hamptons, there was something dark about her, she had changed. But Daniel felt responsible. Not only had he ruined his own life by breaking up with her, but he had also ruined hers as well. He wanted to see that carefree and joyous Emily again.

Daniel needed to find some peace. He decided to watch the sunset on the beach, near Emily's house. It reminded him of the serene and peaceful life that he had with Emily. He felt the warm sand under his feet and looked out into the horizon. He could see the sun peeking out from below the water. Daniel thought back to how Emily would always wake up early and go for a swim. A part of him hoped that she would be here today...but to his disappointment, she wasn't. Why was it, that she was always on his mind? He could never forget her, no matter how much he tried. She still had so much power over him. And even though she was here in the Hamptons, he still couldn't believe it...if only time could freeze, he thought. He never wanted her to leave...as he glanced at her house, he noticed something odd. He couldn't figure out what it was, but something wasn't right. As he walked closer Daniel noticed that the windows were all shattered, and the door had been broken down...Daniel panicked and ran inside the house...

"Emily?" he called out time and time again, hoping to get an answer. As he looked on the floor, there was a huge pool of blood...and looking at it, Daniel felt uneasy...he quickly dialed Emily's cell phone, only to hear it ring beside him. Where was she? Was she in danger...? Was she okay? Just then, breaking the heavy silence, he heard something shatter. Someone was in this house...

"Ems...is that you?" he called out in desperation.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the stairs. They were wearing a black hood, and they were also pointing a gun towards Daniel. Once Daniel realized who it was, he froze in disbelief.

* * *

**Author's Note **

**I am SO sorry for the long wait to this chapter. I just basically had writer's block. Recently, I decided to just write ****_something_****, since it had been forever since I last updated. Sorry again, and I will be a bit busy due to school and whatnot, so my updates may not be that frequent, but stick around. :) **

**And of course, thank you for the support! I love reading the reviews, and it honestly just made me more motivated to continue this story. Thanks a billion, and please keep on reviewing. I really appreciate it. **


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